MANILA, Philippines — Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has demanded a public apology from the Bureau of Immigration (BI), accusing the agency of spreading false information that he attempted to leave the country despite a court-issued travel ban.
In a demand letter dated July 24, the Solis Medina Fajardo & Malilong Law Offices, representing Romualdez, asked BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado to retract what it described as “false and unverified reports” that the former House speaker planned to leave the Philippines.
According to Romualdez’s spokesperson, Ade Fajardo, the lawyers said the allegation was “patently false” and had unfairly prejudiced the lawmaker.
The demand stemmed from a July 21 statement attributed to BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval, who said the bureau had received information about travel plans that “did not push through.” The Office of the Ombudsman later cited that statement in alleging that Romualdez repeatedly tried to leave the country while plunder complaints were being prepared against him.
Romualdez’s lawyers argued that the BI’s statement created the false impression that he was attempting to evade the jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan.
“This is a grave accusation with no basis in fact, and it directly undermines Rep. Romualdez’s constitutional right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty,” the lawyers said.
The law firm noted that the House of Representatives approved Romualdez’s request to travel to Singapore in April 2026 for an angioplasty follow-up checkup. However, the trip was canceled after the Sandiganbayan’s Seventh Division issued a precautionary hold departure order.
The hold departure order is tied to complaints the Office of the Ombudsman is preparing against Romualdez, including possible charges of plunder, graft, indirect bribery and money laundering related to the 2025 budget controversy and an alleged infrastructure corruption scheme.
