The Sandiganbayan Seventh Division has issued a precautionary Hold Departure Order against former House Speaker and Leyte first district Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, even as no formal case has yet been filed against him before the anti-graft court.
The move stems from a complaint-affidavit dated April 20, 2026, filed by the Ombudsman’s Special Panel of Investigators before the Preliminary Investigation, Administrative Adjudication and Monitoring Office. The panel named Romualdez, among others, as respondent in connection with alleged plunder.
At the center of the complaint is what the Ombudsman described as “the alleged kickback scheme tied to flood control projects, purportedly masterminded by the respondent, with the total amount of such kickbacks reaching approximately PhP56B.”
The Office of the Ombudsman filed the Verified Ex Parte Application for the precautionary HDO before the Sandiganbayan, which raffled it to the Seventh Division on Tuesday. The court heard the application the following day and subsequently submitted it for resolution.
Among the materials cited in the application are video-recorded statements by former lawmaker Elizaldy Co and testimony from Orly Guteza.
Romualdez has flatly denied the allegations. “I have never authorized, instructed, or allowed anyone to engage in any conduct that would betray the people or taint my name,” he said, adding that he never received any kickback in connection with any infrastructure project.
