Sandiganbayan denies Romualdez’s motion to lift travel ban
The Sandiganbayan’s Seventh Division has denied for lack of merit the motion filed by former House Speaker and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez to lift the precautionary hold departure order (PHDO) against him.
“It is not superfluous to restate that the essence of [a] PHDO is to address flight risk during preliminary investigation before the issuance of a warrant of arrest or a hold departure order,” Associate Justice Lorifel Lacap Pahimna, the Seventh Division chair, said in a June 1 resolution made public on Wednesday.
“It ensures orderly administration of justice bound by due process without rendering the investigation and the rules inutile … Accordingly, instant motion is denied for lack of merit,” Pahimna added.
The Office of the Ombudsman said it has made a preliminary finding of probable cause against Romualdez for plunder, direct and indirect bribery, and money laundering. The lawmaker, for his part, has denied the accusations.
Not a flight risk
In his motion for reconsideration, Romualdez argued the PHDO constitutes an unconstitutional derogation of his right to travel while also insisting there is no factual and legal basis for the court’s finding he is a flight risk.
He said the fact he sought a travel authority from the House Speaker and also formally wrote to the Bureau of Immigration through the Department of Justice showed he has nothing to hide and no intention of fleeing.
Prosecutors from the Office of the Ombudsman, on the other hand, said in their response to his motion that the PHDO does not violate his right to travel as it was issued only to prevent a miscarriage of justice before the filing of a criminal information in the Sandiganbayan.
The antigraft court issued a PHDO against Romualdez on April 22 upon a request from the Office of the Ombudsman. He is accused of masterminding the alleged kickback scheme tied to flood control projects, with the total kickbacks estimated at round P56 billion.
Romualdez has denied the allegation, saying budget decisions do not rest with the House Speaker alone.
Another case
Meanwhile, the Office of the Ombudsman will file a case on Thursday against prominent personalities, including a “big fish” linked to the flood control scam, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said on Wednesday.
“There are more cases coming. In fact, tomorrow, there will be another case filed in Bulacan. Just wait for who it is because it’s a big fish,” Dizon told reporters in an interview, adding that the case will be filed in the Malolos Regional Trial Court.
On May 28, the Office of the Ombudsman filed plunder and graft cases against Sen. Jinggoy Estrada after he allegedly received up to P573 million in kickbacks from flood control project allocations in 2025. Although he was able to post bail for the graft case, he has been detained at the New Quezon City Male Dormitory in Payatas, Quezon City, since June 1 for the plunder charge. —WITH A REPORT FROM DIANNE SAMPANG
