Fallen speaker: High-flying Martin Romualdez, President Marcos Jr's cousin, ordered to Payatas Jail over ₱7.4B plunder scandal

MANILA: An anti-graft court on Thursday (Sept. 10, 2026) ordered the formal "commitment" of former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, named in a massive corruption scandal, to a regular detention facility in Quezon City.

This strips the high-profile politician, who is a first-cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, of police custody as he faces massive multi-billion peso plunder charges.

The Sandiganbayan 3rd Division issued the commitment order transferring custody of the Leyte representative to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) at the New Quezon City Jail-Male Dormitory in Payatas (NQCJ).

"We hereby commit to you the living person of accused Ferdinand Martin Gomez Romualdez... to be held therein as a detention prisoner," as per the court's order to the NQCJ warden.

As of the time of posting Romualdez remains confined at Cardinal Santos Medical Center pending hearings on his hospital arrest. Romualdez faces a ₱7.44 billion plunder charge, alongside multiple counts of graft, bribery, and money laundering.

The charges stem from alleged irregularities and kickbacks tied to nationwide flood control projects funded between 2022 and 2025.

The Office of the Ombudsman tagged him as an alleged mastermind in the scandal.

Mirroring historical tactics used by embattled Philippine politicians, Romualdez checked himself into a private suite for a "cardiovascular event" and anxiety attacks the same afternoon his warrant dropped.

Public backlash has mounted over the perceived special accommodation, prompting the BJMP to quickly take over security and a prepared cell to await his arrival.

Government prosecutors vehemently opposed his bid for continued luxury hospital detention.

They asserted that independent state-appointed physicians should evaluate whether his ailments can be adequately treated inside a standard detention facility.

State prosecutors have characterised Romualdez as a significant flight risk, noting his access to vast personal wealth, including multiple private jets, helicopters, and yachts.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla assured the public that Romualdez would receive no special treatment and will be physically moved to the Payatas cell block the moment doctors clear him for transport.

Romualdez has denied any wrongdoing. His legal team insists he had no direct oversight of the legislative budget steps under scrutiny.

His formal arraignment and pretrial hearings are scheduled for September 14.

The Office of the Ombudsman filed non-bailable plunder, graft, and money laundering charges against Romualdez.

He stands accused of leading a ₱7.44 billion infrastructure and flood-control kickback scheme, allegedly pocketing massive cash payouts on at least 15 separate occasions.

Romualdez previously wielded immense political authority as the Speaker of the House of Representatives during the 19th and 20th Congresses.

His political standing collapsed in late 2025 after government contractors publicly implicated him in a systemic kickback network.

Romualdez's political collapse and ongoing legal battle can be expanded with specific details regarding the whistleblowers, the mechanics of the corruption scheme, and his recent arrest in September 2026.

The systemic kickback network was blown wide open when contractor couple Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II and Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya publicly named Romualdez and other high-ranking lawmakers as recipients of kickbacks from multi-billion-peso government infrastructure programmes.

Facing immense pressure and eroding legislative credibility, Romualdez formally resigned as Speaker of the House on September 17, 2025.

He was replaced by Isabela Representative Faustino “Bojie” Dy III.

Investigators initially accused Romualdez and his chief ally, former House Appropriations Chair Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co, of amassing ₱56 billion in ill-gotten wealth from 2022 to 2025 through targeted budget insertions.

Escalation: 2026 plunder charges and hospital arrest

The political downfall culminated in severe legal consequences:

On September 7, 2026, the Office of the Ombudsman formally filed a ₱7.44 billion plunder charge against Romualdez and Co before the Sandiganbayan Third Division, citing at least 15 separate occasions of receiving massive kickbacks.

Hours after the case was filed, the Philippine National Police (PNP) served an arrest warrant to Romualdez.

Because he was admitted to the Cardinal Santos Medical Center for a combination of health issues — including hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, and heart and brain-related illnesses — he was placed under "hospital arrest".

On Thursday (Sept. 10, 2026), the Sandiganbayan Third Division issued a formal commitment order transferring custody of Romualdez to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), designating his detention at the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas once he is declared medically fit to travel.

Meanwhile, his co-accused, former House Appropriations Committe head Zaldy Co, fled to Europe after taking a leave supposedly for medical treatment in the US — prior to the warrants being issued. Co remains a fugitive.

Romualdez and his legal defence continue to maintain his innocence, arguing that as Speaker, he did not hold direct oversight or control over the line-by-line implementation of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget.