Former Speaker Declares Innocence While Ombudsman Describes Him as Potential Flight Risk
Martin Romualdez Categorically Denies Wrongdoing While Government Seeks to Prevent Him From Leaving the Country
MANILA The camp of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez firmly denied allegations of wrongdoing Wednesday, even as the Office of the Ombudsman characterized him as “a flight risk” with “means to travel and leave fast” and “access to a diplomatic passport.”
Romualdez’s attorney, Ade Fajardo, stated that they had “not received any official copy of the alleged complaint from the Office of the Ombudsman,” which is both procedurally accurate and politically convenient.
Fajardo added that Romualdez “categorically and unequivocally” rejected the accusations and had “acted at all times within the bounds of law”a statement that typically precedes formal legal proceedings in ways that aren’t entirely reassuring.
The Ombudsman, under Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, had earlier described Romualdez in a petition for a precautionary hold departure order (PHDO) as someone who “had means to travel” and “access to a diplomatic passport,” which are polite ways of saying: we’re worried he’s going to leave.
The Plunder Charges Conversation
Last April 6, Remulla announced that Romualdez and former Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero would face plunder charges before the Sandiganbayan for alleged involvement in multi-billion-peso flood control project anomalies.
On Tuesday night, Romualdez condemned what he called a “political demolition job,” declaring: “I will not allow myself to be turned into the scapegoat so that others who are actually accountable can walk away clean.”
He added: “If this is a political play to push me out and close the story, tarnishing my name and my reputation, then I am telling everyone now: I will not go quietly, and I will not go alone.”
Which is either a powerful statement of principle or a threat, depending on one’s interpretation of “will not go alone.”
References to Sandiganbayan records and Ombudsman documentation confirm that the legal proceedings are genuine, whether Romualdez’s defense strategy is.
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SOURCE: https://mb.com.ph/article/10915053/philippines/national/amid-pressure-from-ombudsman-romualdez-insists-he-did-no-wrong