Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Speaker Martin Romualdez delivers his speech as he steps down from his post as Speaker of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, September 17, 2025. Members of the 20th Congress of the Lower House are currently casting their votes for the next Speaker of the House, with Isabela 6th District Rep. Faustino 'Bojie' Dy III poised to take over the chamber’s leadership. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Rowegie Abanto

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-kj7Jsvi8_c?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>MANILA<strong> (UPDATE) </strong>— The Office of the Ombudsman is eyeing a civil forfeiture case against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, according to the chief of the Department of the Interior and Local Government said Monday.</p><p>Civil forfeiture cases allow the government to take over one&#x27;s assets without charging the person with a crime.</p><p>DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla, brother of Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, told ANC that the anti-graft office was &quot;determined to file gross criminal neglect or gross neglect on his part for civil forfeiture of all his assets.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/18/dpwh-raps-recommended-vs-87-people-over-flood-control-mess-0923">DPWH: Raps recommended vs 87 people over flood control mess</a></div><p>&quot;If we cannot get him criminally, then we will get his assets,&quot; the interior chief said.</p><p>On December 18, the Department of Public Works and Highways said it had recommended criminal and administrative charges against 87 individuals so far, including Leyte 1st District Rep. Romualdez, in relation to the flood control corruption scandal.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/8/remulla-vows-to-follow-evidence-after-pcij-report-on-sandro-marcos-romualdez-1050">Remulla vows to &#x27;follow evidence&#x27; after PCIJ report on Sandro Marcos, Romualdez</a></div><p>Romualdez&#x27;s camp at the time said the recommendation of the DPWH to file complaints against him <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/18/dpwh-recommendation-against-romualdez-not-a-finding-of-guilt-lawyer-says-1727">was not a determination of guilt</a>.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>FRATERNITY LINES &#x27;PUT BEHIND&#x27;</strong></div><div> </div><p>Remulla meanwhile appealed to the public to judge his brother, a former Cavite representative, by his work as Ombudsman and not &quot;for what he has yet to show.&quot;</p><p>There are concerns that Ombudsman Remulla&#x27;s background as a former politician could affect his office&#x27;s effort to go after personalities behind the flood control scandal because many are public officials. </p><p>But the DILG secretary said his brother is &quot;filterless&quot; about who he wants to prosecute and that &quot;no one interferes him, not even the President.&quot;</p><p>The Remulla brothers and Romualdez belonged to the same fraternity, Upsilon Sigma Phi, at the University of the Philippines, but Jonvic vowed that their brotherhood would not interfere with government investigations into the scam.</p><p>&quot;There are times when the fraternity lines are put behind in the interest of the country,&quot; he said, adding that they are &quot;going all the way with this.&quot; </p><p>While the Ombudsman and Romualdez were &quot;very close&quot; in the past, they haven&#x27;t talked since the corruption scandal broke, Jonvic said. </p><p>&quot;Boying has avoided any conversation with him (Romualdez). There are no favors to be asked, nothing. Even his lawyers are Upsilonians, and they cannot approach the Ombudsman to fix anything,&quot; he added.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qRRG0spZP34?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>The Office of the Ombudsman is eyeing a civil forfeiture case against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the chief of the Department of the Interior and Local Government said Monday.</p>

The Office of the Ombudsman is eyeing a civil forfeiture case against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the chief of the Department of the Interior and Local Government said Monday.

'We'll get his assets': Ombudsman eyeing forfeiture case vs Romualdez, says DILG

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'We'll get his assets': Ombudsman eyeing forfeiture case vs Romualdez, says DILG

Rowegie Abanto,

ABS-CBN News

Published December 22, 2025 09:21 AM PHT

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Updated December 22, 2025 12:22 PM PHT

Read More:

Martin Romualdez

Flood Control

Flood Control Scandal

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