THE Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the camp of former House Speaker and Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez to file a counter-affidavit in response to complaints for plunder, graft, and direct bribery arising from the alleged anomalies in multi-billion-peso flood control projects.
Assistant Ombudsman Miko Clavano confirmed on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, that the preliminary investigation panel has issued the order not only to Romualdez but also to the other respondents in the case.
“I can confirm that an order to file counter-affidavit has been issued by the preliminary investigation team to former Speaker of the House, Martin Romualdez, as well as the rest of the respondents,” Clavano said.
He said the respondents have 15 days from receipt of the order to submit their counter-affidavits.
Clavano said that once all parties have submitted their pleadings, the case will be considered submitted for resolution.
The directive marks the next step in the Ombudsman's preliminary investigation into the complaints stemming from the alleged misuse of flood control funds.
The development comes a day after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in his fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona), announced that, according to the Ombudsman, the filing of multiple charges against Romualdez was imminent.
The President acknowledged that pursuing the case against his cousin was personally difficult but said his duty as President required him to do what was right.
Following the President's remarks, the Office of the Ombudsman emphasized its independence in carrying out its constitutional mandate.
“The Office of the Ombudsman acknowledges the President’s report to the nation on the flood control investigations. We are likewise grateful that this Office has been left free to carry out its constitutional mandate and to follow the evidence wherever it leads, including to those closest to the President himself,” the Ombudsman said.
“This is how accountability is meant to function: no favor asked, none given. The Office of the Ombudsman will press forward steadily, fairly and without fear or favor, for as long as the evidence and the law will allow,” it added.
Prior to the Sona, the Ombudsman disclosed that it was preparing what it described as a "grand case" against Romualdez for alleged conspiracy to defraud the national treasury, and money laundering in connection with an alleged anomalous budget insertion scheme involving billions of pesos in flood control funds.
The investigation gained momentum after dismissed Department of Public Works and Highways officials implicated Romualdez as an alleged recipient of kickbacks from anomalous flood control projects.
The Ombudsman also said the testimonies of eight alleged former bodyguards of resigned Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co were "categorical and consistent" in claiming that suitcases containing cash were delivered to the former Speaker.
Romualdez has consistently denied any involvement in the alleged irregularities involving flood control projects. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)