Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez during the 2025 State of the Nation Address
Manuel Mogato | September 8, 2026
MANILA —The Philippine National Police (PNP) went to a private hospital on Monday night to serve an arrest warrant against the president’s first cousin and former Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Ferdinand Martin Romualdez underwent police booking procedure while on his hospital bed after he was admitted due to anxiety and elevated blood pressure, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said. (Also read: Marcos announces looming corruption cases vs former House Speaker, his first cousin)
“He looked pale but stable,” Remulla told reporters outside the Cardinal Santos Hospital in San Juan.
The Sandiganbayan’s 3rd Division issued a warrant of arrest hours after the Ombudsman filed plunder charges against Romualdez, Leyte’s 1st District Representative and former House Speaker, for his 7.44-billion-peso plunder case.
“Based on our investigation, Romualdez allegedly received kickbacks around 15 times from Co’s staff, from September 2022 to 2025,” the Ombudsman said. “That’s for the P2-billion monthly quota or collections Romualdez imposed on Co, a former congressman.”
The Ombudsman said the case against Romualdez and co-accused stands on the evidence and testimonies from several witnesses, including former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Roberto Bernardo and former DPWH Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara, among others.
