The camp of former House Speaker and Leyte lawmaker Martin Romualdez on Tuesday denied the Office of the Ombudsman’s claim that the lawmaker attempted to leave the Philippines to evade legal proceedings amid the flood control scandal probe, saying the allegation has “no basis.”
During an inerview on DZRH's Magandang Umaga Pilipinas (MUP), Romualdez’s spokesperson and legal counsel, Atty. Ade Fajardo, questioned where the information came from, insisting that the former House leader has remained in the country.
“Hindi natin alam kung saan po napupulot yung mga ganyang impormasyon. Kasi mula’t sapul, hindi po umaalis si former speaker dito sa ating jurisdiction,” Fajardo said.
Fajardo said Romualdez is "ready" to face any investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman, adding that there is no reason for him to flee the country.
“Lagi siyang handa na humarap sa lahat ng mga imbestigasyon. So hindi po natin alam kung saan napupulot ng Office of the Ombudsman yung ganyang balita,” he said.
“Meron po siyang preliminary hold departure order. ‘Yung application po ay noon pa, parang three months ago. Pero nagtataka kami, wala namang kaso na ng file ng ganung application,” Fajardo said.
He added that the Ombudsman has only been threatening to issue a subpoena, and that no formal case has yet been filed against Romualdez.
Fajardo maintained that if Romualdez had wanted to escape, he could have done so earlier, but chose to remain in the Philippines to answer the allegations against him.
“Yung former speaker ay talagang nagtitiwala na wala namang ebidensya against him, so there’s no reason to flee the country,” he said.
Fajardo said the Ombudsman’s statement could create a public perception that Romualdez is guilty, noting that flight is often viewed as an indication of liability under the law.
“Parang ang epekto lang nito ay nagkakaroon tuloy ng perception yung ating mga kababayan na guilty si Cong. Romualdez dahil sa pagtatangkang pagtakas. Kasi siyempre dahil sa presumption sa ating batas na flight is an indication of guilt,” he said.
He added that the camp is studying its legal options following the Ombudsman’s statement, which he described as an allegation without basis.
“Kahapon lang po ‘yan isinapubliko sa atin at feeling natin hindi naman kailangan sabihin yung mga bagay na wala namang basehan at wala namang dahilan para tumakas ang former speaker,” Fajardo said.
