A precautionary hold departure order already keeps Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez inside the Philippines while prosecutors examine his suspected role in the flood control corruption mess. Now a second obstacle to his movement has surfaced abroad: the United States has withdrawn his authorization to enter the country.
Bilyonaryo News Channel reported that the former House Speaker’s A-1 diplomatic visa, along with his B1/B2 non-immigrant visa for business and tourism, was scrapped. A ranking Philippine government figure with knowledge of the matter relayed the development to BNC, placing the cancellation at several weeks ago.
That same official said Washington offered no explanation for stripping Romualdez of both visa categories.
The visa action lands as the Leyte lawmaker contends with mounting legal pressure at home. The Office of the Ombudsman has cast him as the alleged architect of a kickback arrangement built around flood control projects, with the suspected payouts pegged at roughly P56 billion. Acting on the anti-graft body’s request, the Sandiganbayan’s Seventh Division granted a precautionary hold departure order against him on April 22, directing the Bureau of Immigration to keep his name on the list of those barred from leaving.
Romualdez has rejected the accusations and tried to halt the probe itself. His lawyers from Villaraza & Angangco asked the Ombudsman to step aside, arguing that public remarks by Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla pointed to a decision to prosecute reached before any formal complaint or preliminary investigation existed. The defense letter, dated April 22, described a “pattern of prejudgment” it traced back to November 2025.
His camp has also pressed the point that the budget process he is accused of manipulating ran through several agencies and both the executive and legislative branches, undercutting the idea that one official could have steered it. Through spokesperson Atty. Elaine Atienza, the former Speaker called for fairness in how he is examined. “Accountability must be based on evidence, not theory or opinion. It must be based on what a person actually did, not what people assume his title allowed him to do,” she said.
The corruption complaints remain at the preliminary investigation stage, meaning Romualdez has not been indicted or charged in court. Earlier this year, fact-checkers also knocked down viral claims that he had been arrested in the United States, noting no such action by either government had ever been recorded.
