President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday denied critics’ claims that the arrest of his cousin, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, was mere “drama” or that he was receiving special treatment as he faced plunder charges.
Romualdez was arrested on September 7 on plunder charges linked to the multibillion-peso flood control scandal while he was confined at Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City.
The move drew criticism, with Vice President Sara Duterte describing it as “drama.”
During an interview of the media in India, Marcos dismissed such accusations are merely attacks against his administration.
“God, you see, do you think you talk to him and see if he agrees with you… This is political, right? It's not really a comment on what's happening. It's not really a belief that it is, in fact, drama,” Marcos said.
“It is kind of may masabi para insultuhin ka or to put you down or sasabihin mali ‘yung ginagawa mo. Basta ang sasabihin basically, pinapatunayan [nun] na wala kang kwentang tao… So they have to say that. So that's what they're saying,” he added.
Marcos said the allegations do not address the procedures being followed by the court, describing them instead as another political attack against his administration.
“That's not a comment on the procedures of the court. It’s just another attack. We get them a lot,” he stressed.
Romualdez is currently confined at the University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) to undergo an independent medical examination following a Sandiganbayan order.
