When the high and mighty fall

What a thrilling moment in Philippine history.

Never have so many elected officials, among the highest-ranking and most powerful in the land, been investigated, prosecuted, charged, hunted or jailed for two major crimes – mass murder and massive thievery or plunder.

The suspects include: Vice President Sara Duterte (impeached and being tried for four crimes – misuse of P612.5 million of tax money disguised as confidential and intelligence funds; threatening to kill President Marcos Jr., the First Lady and the former speaker; bribery and unexplained wealth of P6.77 billion despite having cumulative income of just P24 million); a former president (Rodrigo Roa Duterte, in jail in The Hague for 19 months now for alleged mass murder), five incumbent senators (Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, hunted for mass murder; Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta, in jail for plunder; Alan Peter Cayetano, being investigated for alleged plunder in Clark and Taguig; Bong Go, a suspect in mass murder as pay master during the killing spree under Duterte) and Loren Legarda, in hiding for alleged plunder or “ghost electricity.” Loren’s son, Congressman Leandro Leviste, is in hiding for alleged plunder or ghost electricity and for human trafficking for allegedly having peddled women of pleasure to Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, a former Batangas senator. A once powerful and big-time contractor, former congressman Zaldy Co, is in hiding abroad for plunder.

Two senator-siblings – Mark Villar and Camille Villar – are being investigated for alleged stock market manipulation, insider trading and misleading disclosures that distorted the share prices of their property conglomerate that made tycoon Manny Villar a trillionaire. The family denies allegations of fraud.

Under “hospital arrest” since Tuesday afternoon is former Speaker Martin Romualdez for plunder or for “repeatedly receiving, directly or indirectly, on at least 15 occasions, commissions, shares, percentages, kickbacks, ‘commitments’ and/or other pecuniary benefits aggregating at least P7,440,000,000 (P7.44 billion) by reason or on account of the respective public offices and positions of Romualdez and Co, including monies derived from contractors, persons and entities with interests in flood control, infrastructure and/or other government projects funded by the General Appropriations Acts for fiscal years 2022 to 2025.”

Under the national budgets of 2022 to 2025, more than P1 trillion was stolen by politicians and corrupt DPWH engineers and contractors.

Usually, the alleged take of the speaker was 20 to 25 percent. So P7.44 billion seems like small change.

Anyway, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said the P7.44-billion case “is the first of the many.” His younger brother, DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla, says Romualdez is a flight risk because the former speaker has “two private jets, three helicopters and two yachts.” Hence, the suburban San Juan hospital where Romualdez is confined has been turned into a virtual police camp, surrounded by fully armed SWAT teams as if it were a top terrorist target. “He cannot hide behind his wealth,” says DILG’s Remulla.

Almost overnight, on Tuesday, upon hearing of his impending arrest, Romualdez acquired a number of diseases, including: 1. hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; 2. unstable angina; 3. coronary artery disease; 4. S/P PCI (post percutaneous coronary intervention); 5. cerebrovascular ischemic disease; 6. Type 2 diabetes mellitus; 7. hypertension; 8. dyslipidemia and 9. primary hypothyroidism. A curious Sandigan court division has summoned Romualdez’s doctors to explain the former speaker’s actual state of health.

Related Secretary Jonvic Remulla at a press conference the other day: “Kahapon makalipas ang alas-sais y medya ng gabi ay dumating po ako, si Gen. Morico at si Gen. Nartatez kasama ang CIDG para ihain ang warrant of arrest para kay former Speaker Martin Romualdez.

“Kausap po namin ang hospital administration. Pinayagan po kaming pumunta sa kuwarto niya at doon binasa sa kanya ang kaniyang Miranda Rights. Kinuha ang kaniyang fingerprints at kinuha ang kaniyang mugshot, pero yung mugshot hindi ho puwedeng traditional dahil nakahiga ho siya.

“So ginawa ang kaniyang mugshot. Naintindihan niya ang Miranda Rights – tinanggap niya. Hindi ho namin maisuot ang t-shirt niya dahil nakasuwero po siya. So, ang puwedeng isuot sa kaniya ay ang – yung nakabutones yata, parang hospital gown, dahil manipis yung t-shirt, so hindi puwedeng ilusot sa suwero, so pinatong sa kaniya.

“That is only signifying that upon receiving – hearing his Miranda rights na na-process na ang chaining fingerprints at pictures, having understood those rights in the presence of counsel. Nandoon ang kaniyang mga abogado.”

Declares Sec. Remulla: “Martin Romualdez is officially under the custody of the CIDG and is now a person deprived of liberty.”

Chimes in the spokesman of the ombudsman, Mico Clavano: “We will insist on seeing the former speaker’s actual condition so that we can determine the illness that supposedly needs to be treated. We will scrutinize the motion and make sure that there is absolutely no special treatment.”

Meanwhile, Ombudsman Remulla and his kid brother, DILG chief Jonvic, are supposed to fly to France to negotiate the surrender (?) of Loren Legarda and Zaldy Co and plead with the French government not to hide criminal suspects.

Rodrigo Roa Duterte is accused of having killed between 6,200 and 30,000 innocent civilians during his time as long-time mayor of Davao City and as president for six years – June 30, 2016 to June 30, 2022. Since his arrest in Manila on March 11, 2025, he has been in jail in The Hague, Netherlands, facing trial for crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court.

Duterte’s co-accused is Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, in hiding or a fugitive from justice since November 2925. During his time as chief of the Philippine National Police, July 1, 2016 to April 19, 2018, Bato authored and waged Oplan Double Barrel, the PNP master plan to neutralize or kill hundreds of thousands of alleged drug lords and drug addicts.

DILG Secretary Remulla has hinted at negotiations for the surrender of the fugitive from justice for possible turnover to authorities in The Hague.

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