Less than a year into his post, Ombudsman Boying Remulla delivered his boldest anti‑corruption strike yet—filing a non‑bailable plunder case against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the mastermind of the flood‑control corruption scandal.
It’s a massive move for Remulla, once fraternity brother to Romualdez. Since the corruption probe began, Romualdez has resorted to mudslinging and tried to downplay the Office of the Ombudsman’s investigation. The plunder case filed by the Ombudsman against Romualdez before the Sandiganbayan involves ₱7.4 billion in ill-gotten wealth. That amount is 148 times the ₱50-million minimum threshold for plunder.
The plunder charge against Martin Romualdez has been raffled off to the Sandiganbayan’s 3rd Division. Remulla said the case was only the start of a series of cases that will include more plunder and money laundering charges.
It comes as PGMN’s heavy‑hitting barrage of corruption exposés against Romualdez entered its 11th straight week—racking up 230 million views across 2,042 posts—cementing itself as the most viral anti‑corruption campaign ever mounted against a single figure in Philippine social media history.
Even as Romualdez scrambled to fight back, filing more than 80 lawsuits against PGMN, the nonstop stream of content exposing him only grew louder and more relentless.
The probe gained traction after President Bongbong Marcos in his fourth SONA, ordered the DPWH to submit flood‑control project lists—an order that quickly zeroed in on his cousin Romualdez.
In February, former bodyguards of Rep. Zaldy Co surfaced with affidavits recounting cash deliveries to Romualdez, eight of whom submitted sworn statements to the Ombudsman.
By November 2025, Remulla revealed that Romualdez had even tried to exploit their past friendship to convince him he was not corrupt. But Remulla stood firm, refusing to bend and choosing to do what’s right.
As Remulla pressed on, Romualdez’s lawyers demanded he inhibit, claiming his public statements showed “prejudgment.” Romualdez himself accused Remulla of bias and called for an “impartial” body to take over.
In February 2026, former bodyguards of Zaldy Co surfaced with affidavits recounting cash deliveries to Romualdez—eight of them submitting sworn statements to the Ombudsman. As the Ombudsman closed in, witnesses recanted under pressure. Remulla publicly accused Romualdez’s camp of orchestrating the reversals with bribes. Lawyer Levito D. Baligod revealed witnesses were offered at least ₱5 million each, later ballooning to ₱20–25 million, while former Marine George Villalon Jr. confirmed the escalating bribes.
The probe was painstaking, built to withstand Romualdez’s arsenal—bribed recantations, media manipulation, plundered wealth, a massive legal team, and loyalists on his payroll, even reaching the point where they tried to get Remulla impeached. Yet the Department of Justice Secretary‑turned‑Ombudsman pressed on, fortified by Marcos’s vow that family ties would not shield anyone from accountability.
But now it’s certain: Romualdez is going to jail. A triumph for Remulla, a victory for the Filipino people, and a decisive step toward cleansing government of corruption—with the mastermind soon behind bars.
