The camp of former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has welcomed veteran broadcaster and columnist Ramon Tulfo’s public admission and apology over his false report alleging that the former lawmaker was making unauthorized trips outside his detention facility.
In a statement on Thursday, November 5, Romualdez’s legal counsel, Atty. Ade Fajardo, said Tulfo’s retraction was significant, considering that the allegations had already circulated widely and subjected his client to public suspicion and criticism.
Fajardo noted that Tulfo acknowledged receiving incorrect information, failing to verify the claims independently, and subsequently sharing them with the public.
The lawyer said the retraction was also consistent with the categorical testimony of Jail Superintendent Maria Lourdes Pacion, who denied that Romualdez had been leaving the detention facility or using an ambulance or other vehicle for unauthorized trips.
“We appreciate Mr. Tulfo's willingness to acknowledge his mistake publicly. It takes responsibility to correct an erroneous report, especially after it has gained widespread attention,” Fajardo said.
He also stressed the consequences of spreading unverified information, saying, “At the same time, the incident demonstrates the serious harm that can result when unverified information is presented to the public as established fact.”
Fajardo concluded his statement with the reminder: “Ang kasinungalingan, kapag paulit-ulit na ipinakalat, ay maaaring magmukhang katotohanan. Pero sa huli, ang katotohanan pa rin ang dapat manaig.”
Tulfo earlier admitted that he had been given incorrect information about Romualdez's alleged movements, including claims that the former lawmaker was transported outside the New Quezon City Jail aboard an ambulance and that power interruptions were deliberately staged to prevent CCTV cameras from recording his movements.
In his public apology, Tulfo described the incident as one of the most embarrassing moments in his journalism career, admitting, “It was fiction. I goofed. No excuses.”
The controversy prompted the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to investigate the allegations. Its initial review of CCTV footage found no recorded power or camera interruptions and no movement by Romualdez outside the facility during the period examined.
Romualdez remains detained over a non-bailable P7.44-billion plunder case involving alleged kickbacks from flood control and other government infrastructure projects. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
