Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez entered a not guilty plea to his plunder charge over the ₱7.4‑billion government infrastructure kickback scheme filed by the Office of the Ombudsman.
During his arraignment on Wednesday, Romualdez appeared via videoconference and entered his plea—moving the case into pre‑trial and toward trial, where prosecutors must prove the allegations.
Romualdez has been tagged as the mastermind of the ₱56‑billion flood‑control corruption scandal, which left 9.4 million affected and claimed 39 lives in recent heavy rains after projects meant to protect them were either nonexistent or substandard.
After months of investigations marked by bribes, witness testimonies, and recantations, the Ombudsman on Sept. 7 filed the first of many plunder charges—this one for ₱7.4 billion—that led to Romualdez’s jailing. Remulla said more cases are coming.
Prosecutors allege the amount came from contractors, individuals, and entities with interests in flood‑control, infrastructure, and other government projects funded under the General Appropriations Acts from 2022 to 2025.
Romualdez is currently sharing the infirmary at the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas with three other PDLs. The roughly 50‑square‑meter ward has hospital beds but no air‑conditioning, with a common bathroom and exhaust fans as its only ventilation.
He remains in the infirmary instead of a regular detention cell after PGH doctors determined he is fit for jail detention but still requires medical supervision for hypertension, diabetes, and previous cerebrovascular incidents.
Remulla said PGH doctors and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology medical personnel found the facility adequate for Romualdez’s current medical needs. His eventual transfer to a regular cell will depend on further medical evaluations.
