Philippine Court Issues Hold Order on Former Speaker Martin Romualdez Amid Corruption Allegations

The order was requested by the Office of the Ombudsman on April 21, 2026. A high-level source reported to Rappler that the approval means Romualdez cannot leave the Philippines. Romualdez had been granted travel clearance on April 20, 2026, for angioplasty surgery abroad, with a planned travel period from April 20 to May 4, 2026.

His staff stated on April 22 morning that he was still in the country. The PHDO is a mechanism allowing prosecutors to seek a hold order during the complaint stage of an investigation.

Investigations Romualdez faces complaints before the Ombudsman for plunder, graft, money laundering, and direct and indirect bribery. These legal actions remain at the preliminary investigation level, with no indictment or court charges yet filed. The Ombudsman alleges Romualdez was behind a kickback scheme involving ghost flood control projects totaling P56 billion.

A Rappler investigation identified three multimillion-peso properties linked to Romualdez, including a P445-million mansion in Sotogrande, Spain. Another probe noted alleged connections between Malaysian shareholders and a multimillion-euro Spanish property.

Rappler also reported on Jose Raulito Paras as a key figure in dealings linked to Romualdez.

a video statement released on April 21, 2026, Romualdez denied involvement in the alleged kickback scheme. He stated that the national budget process involves the entire House of Representatives, the Senate, and the executive branch, not the House speaker alone.

The case stems from months of investigation by the Ombudsman. Further developments in the preliminary investigation could lead to formal charges if evidence supports the allegations.