Romualdez camp demands apology from BI over fake news on travel attempt

MANILA, Philippines — Lawyers for Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez have demanded an apology from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for allegedly spreading fake news about the former House of Representatives leader’s attempt to leave the country. In a statement on Friday, Romualdez’s spokesperson Ade Fajardo confirmed that the Solis Medina Fajardo & Malilong Law Offices sent a demand letter addressed to Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado, as information cited by the Office of the Ombudsman about his attempt to leave the Philippines came from the BI. According to the lawyers, the attempt to leave the country is “patently false.” “Rep. Romualdez is constrained to register his strongest objection and protest against the circulation by the Bureau of Immigration (the ‘Bureau’) of false and unverified reports, specifically its supposed receipt of ‘information’ regarding purported plans of Rep. Romualdez to leave the country,” the lawyers said in the demand letter dated July 24, as cited by Fajardo. “These reports are patently false, misleading, and gravely prejudicial to Rep. Romualdez and the proceedings pending before the Sandiganbayan in People v. Romualdez, Case No. E-SB-26-PHDO-0002,” it added. According to the statement, the demand letter was prompted by a July 21 statement attributed to BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval, which stated that BI “received information that there were plans that did not push through.” This was cited by the Office of the Ombudsman, which accused Romualdez of repeatedly trying to leave the country despite it preparing plunder complaints against the former speaker. READ: Ombudsman: Romualdez keeps trying to leave PH as we prepare plunder rap But Romualdez’s lawyers said that the BI’s statement “unfairly created the impression” that the lawmaker was evading the Sandiganbayan’s authority. “By their plain import, the confirmation attributed to the Bureau create the unmistakable public impression that Rep. Romualdez attempted to flee the country to evade the jurisdiction of Sandiganbayan and the pending criminal investigation against him,” Romualdez’s lawyers stated. “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,” they added. In April 2026, the House under Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III and Secretary General Cheloy Garafil granted Romualdez’s bid to travel out of the country, for an angioplasty follow-up check. READ: House OKs Romualdez’s Singapore trip for angioplasty follow-up check However, it was eventually announced that the trip did not push through as Sandiganbayan’s Seventh Division has issued a precautionary hold departure order (PHDO) against Romualdez over his pending complaints — raps that the Office of the Ombudsman has yet to file, but may include plunder, graft, indirect bribery, and money laundering. READ: Court bars Romualdez from leaving PH The potential complaints are linked to Romualdez’s alleged role in the 2025 budget mess and the infrastructure corruption scandal.