Palace: President’s personal feelings ‘not important’ in Romualdez arrest

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Garafil, in a statement Tuesday, said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s personal feelings are "not important" in the arrest of his cousin, Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez. "Ang pakiramdam po ng Pangulo, personal ay hindi naman po siguro ito dapat na alamin natin. Ang kailangan lang po dito ay dapat mapanagot, ang dapat na mapanagot," Garafil said during a Palace briefing. Romualdez, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, was arrested on Monday over allegations that he and former Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co received more than P7 billion in kickbacks from government projects between 2022 and 2025. "Hindi na po siguro makakaapekto kung ano man ang damdamin ng Pangulo, masaya, malungkot ano man, hindi na po siya importante," she added. According to Garafil, the important thing is that the justice system is working and it is in the hands of the court to hold the person accountable. She also dismissed claims that Marcos had "dropped" Romualdez amid the investigation into the flood control scam, which eventually led to his arrest. "Hindi ko gusto iyong word na “nilaglag.” So, kung may mga kritikong nagsasabing “nilaglag,” hindi namin nais gamitin ang word na nilaglag," Garafil stated. "Dahil ito naman po according to the Office of the Ombudsman mayroon silang nakitang ebidensiya. So, walang dapat nilalaglag dito, kung ano lang iyong ebidensiya na nandidiyan, iyon lang—doon lang tayo bumase, dahil ang Pangulo po sa mga bagay na ganyan ay neutral, proseso, batas at walang dapat na gawa-gawang ebidensiya," she continued. Romualdez is currently confined at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City under the custody of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group due to Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, primary hypothyroidism, and other illnesses. His camp filed a motion to extend his hospital confinement, but the Office of the Ombudsman said it will oppose the motion and will request a team of government doctors to assess whether his declared illnesses could be managed outside the hospital.