The Office of the Ombudsman is preparing what Ombudsman Boying Remulla described as the “grandest case of all” against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, centered on an alleged conspiracy to defraud the treasury through the national budget.
Speaking at a press conference Tuesday afternoon, May 26, 2026, Remulla said the case would be the first of its kind in Philippine legal history because it involves alleged budget insertions that reached the final version of the national budget without going through plenary deliberation.
“Meron kaming isa pang money laundering case na mabigat, at of course, the grandest case of them all, itong pinakamabigat na kaso diyan, the conspiracy to defraud the treasury,” Remulla said. “‘Yun talaga ‘yan sa pamamagitan ng budget.”
Remulla said the Ombudsman is still building the case day by day and will not set a timetable for filing, explaining that a case of this scale cannot be rushed while evidence is still being gathered and organized.
According to Remulla, the alleged conspiracy involves amendments that were not openly debated on the floor but still appeared in the approved budget. He said this is why the Ombudsman is treating the matter as an alleged conspiracy carried out through the budget process.
Remulla also said Romualdez has several co-accused, but declined to name them for now.
The Ombudsman also accused Congress of obstructing the investigation by refusing to surrender records from the Small Committee and the Committee on Appropriations, and by refusing to accept subpoenas related to the Romualdez cases.
Remulla warned that the Ombudsman would not back down regardless of who is involved, saying the office is determined to pursue accountability even against powerful figures.
Remulla said the Ombudsman is trying to avoid the old pattern of cases being filed for publicity, only to drag on for years before the Sandiganbayan. He said his office wants all evidence ready before filing so prosecutors can push for continuous trial and a faster judgment.
Corruption has always been the biggest problem of the Philippines. Romualdez is widely regarded as the single most corrupt Filipino politician of the 21st century.
