Romualdez arrested in hospital for plunder case

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Tuesday released the official mugshot of former House Speaker and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez following his arrest over a plunder case. The photo, presented during a press briefing in Camp Crame, shows Romualdez lying in a hospital bed at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City, wearing a medical gown, nasal cannula, and an intravenous cannula. Instead of wearing the standard orange Philippine National Police–Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) detainee shirt, Romualdez is seen with the shirt placed over his medical gown. Romualdez was arrested on Monday night following an order from the Sandiganbayan Third Division. He was charged with plunder in connection with over P7 billion worth of alleged kickbacks in various government projects from 2022 to 2025. The PNP–CIDG National Capital Region previously explained that Romualdez could not be made to stand up for the mugshot nor wear the orange detainee shirt due to the medical apparatus attached to his body. This development brings renewed attention to corruption issues within Philippine politics, highlighting the accountability of public officials.