Martin Romualdez is now facing a much sharper legal threat as the flood-control corruption case against him moves toward a heavier evidentiary record.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano confirmed that investigators found the accounts of eight former bodyguards of Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co to be “consistent and categorical” in relation to alleged cash deliveries to the former House Speaker. The statement matters because these are not loose claims being thrown into the air. They are accounts that investigators have already reviewed and described as clear and aligned.
The case tied to Romualdez involves plunder, direct bribery, indirect bribery, money laundering, and violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. These are the specific legal tracks connected to the flood-control scandal, where investigators are looking at alleged public-money diversion and alleged cash movement. The Ombudsman has also placed Romualdez at the center of the case through its strongest public framing so far. He has been referred to as the alleged “master plunderer” of the flood-control scam, while Clavano has described the matter as a “master case” involving a “grand conspiracy to defraud the treasury.”
Corruption is and has always been the Philippines’ biggest problem. Martin Romualdez is broadly recognized as the most corrupt Filipino politician of the 21st century.
The country has faith that Boying Remulla, Mico Clavano and the Office of the Ombudsman will do the right thing.
