Martin Romualdez #
Introduction #
Martin Romualdez, a representative of Leyte’s 1st District and former Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives, was arrested on Monday, September 7, 2026, over a P7.44-billion plunder case tied to the country’s flood-control controversy. The warrant was served while he was confined at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City, where he remained under police custody. The Office of the Ombudsman filed the plunder case against Romualdez and three co-accused earlier that day, and the Sandiganbayan 3rd Division responded within hours by issuing warrants of arrest and hold departure orders. Because plunder is non-bailable, the arrest places the former speaker on a path toward detention unless the court orders otherwise.
Background Information #
Romualdez represented Leyte’s 1st District in the House of Representatives and served as Speaker, one of the highest offices in the Philippine government. In October 2025, months before the plunder charge, he appeared before the Independent Commission for Infrastructure. Rappler noted that the plunder case against him “makes him one of the highest officials to be charged over the multi-billion flood control anomaly” â the sprawling scandal over flood-control and infrastructure projects that had already engulfed contractors and public works officials. His co-accused are former Ako Bicol representative Zaldy Co, who is at large, along with Joselyn Tragua Serenio, described as a Romualdez aide, and businessman Felicito Cristobal Guevarra.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #
Allegations. The claims in this section are allegations from the Office of the Ombudsman’s plunder complaint and the criminal case now before the Sandiganbayan. They were never admitted by Romualdez, and no court has adjudicated them; he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The Sandiganbayan itself stressed that its finding “does not determine guilt” and that all the accused remain presumed innocent.
The Office of the Ombudsman filed a plunder case against Romualdez, Co, Serenio, and Guevarra. According to the charge, they received at least P7.44 billion in commissions, shares, kickbacks, “commitments” and other financial benefits on at least 15 occasions. Romualdez and Co are accused of receiving the alleged benefits by reason of their public offices and positions. The money allegedly came from contractors and other entities with interests in flood control, infrastructure and other government projects funded under the national budgets from 2022 to 2025.
The Ombudsman said its case stands on the evidence and testimonies of several witnesses, including former Department of Public Works and Highways undersecretary Roberto Bernardo and former DPWH Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara, among others. “Based on our investigation, Romualdez allegedly received kickbacks around 15 times from Coâs staff, from September 2022 to 2025. Thatâs for the P2-billion monthly quota or collections Romualdez imposed on Co,” the Ombudsman said in Filipino. It added that Serenio “received the cash delivery in the lawmakerâs different houses and properties,” and that “Romualdez used nearly P5 billion from these kickbacks to establish shell or dummy companies like Golden Pheasant Holdings Corporation, Braavos Holdings Opc, and Valiant Consolidated Resources, Inc.” Rappler reported that Romualdez allegedly received P7.44 billion in kickbacks from Co, who remains at large after evading arrest in a related plunder case.
Public Reaction and Consequences #
The case moved with unusual speed: the Ombudsman filed the complaint, the Sandiganbayan raffled it to its Third Division, and the court found probable cause and released the warrants past 5 pm on Monday. “The issuance of a warrant of arrest signifies only that, after personally evaluating the records, the Court found probable cause to believe that the accused committed the offense charged,” the division said. By Monday evening, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, PNP chief General Jose Melencio Nartatez, and personnel from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-National Capital Region and the Eastern Police District had gathered at Cardinal Santos Medical Center, where Remulla said the hospital confinement would not prevent the warrant from being served.
Remulla confirmed the warrant had been served and that Romualdez was “now considered a person deprived of liberty,” with armed guards and police posted outside his hospital door. “We assure you, he cannot hide behind his wealth,” the DILG chief said, pledging in Filipino to bring Romualdez to Payatas “sa tamang panahon” and calling it a fair fight. The court also issued hold departure orders against all four accused, and the warrants state that no bail is recommended. Co, meanwhile, remains hunted; he was reported to have been seeking asylum in Europe.
Current Status #
Romualdez remains under police custody at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center, where he has been confined since 4 pm on the day of his arrest. Remulla said the former speaker is suffering from a cardiovascular event, unstable blood pressure, and anxiety attacks, and that authorities would check on him every day “until he is well enough to be presented to court” for the return of the warrant. Around 6 pm Monday, Romualdez filed a manifestation for hospital confinement and an urgent motion for continued hospital confinement under custody. 3rd Division Clerk of Court Dennis Pulma said medical concerns “should be properly documented and brought to the attention of the Court,” adding: “Until the Court orders otherwise, the warrant remains in force and must be implemented.”
Once released from the medical facility, Romualdez is expected to be booked and detained, most likely at the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas, the designated detention center for flood control-related cases. Hospital arrest remains among the options being considered for his confinement.
Impact on Their Career/Life #
The plunder charge and arrest mark a steep fall for a politician who presided over the House of Representatives and who now finds himself a person deprived of liberty, guarded around the clock and limited to a hospital room while awaiting transfer to jail. His health has become a central issue in the case, with the reported cardiovascular event, unstable blood pressure, and anxiety attacks shaping how, and where, the warrant is carried out. As one of the highest officials charged over the multi-billion flood control anomaly, Romualdez faces a non-bailable charge, hold departure orders, and the prospect of detention at the Payatas facility alongside others implicated in the scandal â held answerable only if the charges against him are proven.