NBI chief to Romualdez: Better to surrender as plunder raps filed

MANILA, Philippines — It will be better for Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez to surrender, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag said on Monday, noting that the bureau will locate him as soon as they receive his warrant of arrest. Matibag said this after the Office of the Ombudsman filed plunder raps against Romualdez, as well as former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co., and several other co-accused before the Sandiganbayan, regarding the alleged flood control anomalies. Plunder is a nonbailable offense. “It’s better na mag-surrender kaysa magkaroon pa ng incident ng arrest,” Matibag said in an ambush interview on Monday afternoon. (It’s better for him to surrender than to have another incident of arrest.) “Wala naman tayong ibang pupuntahan eh. Mahirap pong magtago sa kamay ng batas. Mahaba po kamay ng batas, eventually aabutan po tayo,” he also said. (We have nowhere else to go. It’s hard to hide from the law. The arm of the law is long.) Matibag said the NBI will immediately dispatch a team to locate and arrest the former House speaker. When asked how many personnel would be deployed to conduct the arrest, Matibag said it would “not that many.” “One division per area (Romualdez’s reported location). Hindi naman ganoon kadami. We don’t want to do an overkill,” he said. (One division per area. It’s not that many. We don’t want to do an overkill.) READ: Martin Romualdez charged with plunder Romualdez and Co are accused of “repeatedly receiving, directly or indirectly, on at least fifteen (15) occasions, commissions, shares, percentages, kickbacks, ‘commitments,’ and/or other pecuniary benefits” worth at least P7.44 billion. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said during his fifth State of the Nation Address in July that the Ombudsman is preparing to file charges against his cousin. Romualdez, in response, said he “respects” Marcos’ remarks but noted that he is ready to prove his innocence. /gsg