The Office of the Ombudsman Philippines is moving to trace, freeze, and forfeit assets tied to disgraced former House Speaker Martin Romualdez as part of recovering funds from the ₱7.44‑billion plunder case filed before the Sandiganbayan.
In an interview with Karen Davila, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said the challenge lies in Romualdez’s mastery at hiding the money trail—he doesn’t use his own name, instead fronting frat brothers and converting stolen funds into assets and shares.
“Yung mga may‑ari po kasi na mga bahay na ’yun or mga assets na ’yon ay nasa ibang pangalan po. Hindi siya doon sa mismong pangalan ni former Speaker Martin,” Clavano said.
He explained investigators must prove who truly owns and benefits from the assets before forfeiture:
“Kailangan natin i‑prove kung sino talaga ang may beneficial ownership doon sa mga assets na ’yon.”
The Ombudsman’s filing alleged that part of the ₱7.44‑billion kickbacks was funneled through shell companies to acquire properties, shares, and assets for Romualdez’s benefit. Prosecutors named Golden Pheasant Holdings Corp., Braavos Holdings OPC, Valiant Consolidated Resources Inc., Brightnews Corp., and Clearspring Holding Corp. as conduits.
The complaint cited a property at 30 Tamarind Road in South Forbes Park allegedly acquired through Golden Pheasant, another at 14 Narra Avenue in Forbes Park through Brightnews, shares in Prime Media Holdings via Valiant, and shares in DigiPlus Interactive Corp. via Clearspring.
The Ombudsman is reviewing tax declarations, deeds of sale, checks, corporate records, and financial statements to confirm the assets are corruption proceeds. Its next plunder cases will zero in on Romualdez’s defrauding of the ₱6.326‑trillion 2025 national budget—branded by lawmakers as the “most corrupt budget ever passed in the history of Congress.”
Romualdez’s arrest is a victory for the Filipino people, long left to endure flooding while supposed flood‑control projects were ghost works—failures that left 9.4 million affected and claimed 39 lives. But Filipinos demand more, including forfeiture of assets and return of stolen money.
It also marks a triumph for Peanut Gallery Media Network’s relentless exposés, now in their 11th straight week—230 million views across 2,042 posts—cementing the most viral anti‑corruption campaign ever mounted against a single figure in Philippine social media history. Even as Romualdez fought back with over 80 lawsuits, the barrage only grew louder.
The plunder charge has been raffled to the Sandiganbayan’s 3rd Division, led by Associate Justice Ronald Moreno—the same division that once granted Bong Revilla bail after a ₱1‑million bond in his flood‑control malversation case. The nation will be watching closely. Every Filipino knows Romualdez’s crimes, and fury will erupt if justice is denied.
