The Office of the Ombudsman is on the verge of initiating plunder charges against former House Speaker and current Leyte First District Representative Martin Romualdez, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla revealed on Friday.
“We’re very close to it,” Remulla said during a press briefing.
The head of the anti-graft agency noted that investigators are currently polishing the complaint to prepare for a preliminary inquiry into the allegations surrounding the lawmaker.
“We’re very close to filing the plunder charges,” Remulla added.
Romualdez, a relative of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has faced scrutiny over suspected irregularities tied to state budget distributions. An analysis by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) disclosed that the congressman secured at least ₱14.4 billion in discretionary allocations from 2023 to 2025—a setup the investigative group likened to a modernized pork barrel mechanism.
Remulla stressed that the agency is meticulously verifying all legal and technical details to ensure the case remains airtight before the courts.
He conceded that prosecuting high-profile individuals with vast resources and elite legal teams presents a significant hurdle.
“Sinasabi ko na from the first day that I took office here, ang kalaban namin dito, the people who have the best lawyers money can buy,” he said.
Furthermore, the Ombudsman pointed out that the inquiry involving Romualdez carries greater complexity than previous major investigations, such as the Pharmally pandemic procurement scandal.
“Bantayan natin ang courts because we’re putting on our best face to put flesh into the cases,” Remulla said.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano, who also spoke at the briefing, clarified that the department now enforces a stricter evidentiary threshold before elevating complaints to court.
“Ngayon dahil reasonable certainty of conviction ang ating threshold of evidence ay kailangan mas diligent po ang ating investigators para po makuha ang bawat elemento,” Clavano said.
Clavano reiterated that this elevated standard demands heightened thoroughness from investigators in collecting proof and proving every component required to guarantee a guilty verdict.