President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. shut down claims that the arrest of his high-profile cousin, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, was a staged production, calling the rumors part of a larger stream of political attacks aimed at his administration.
Addressing reporters during a Kapihan with Media press conference in India on Sunday, the President hit back at critics framing the law enforcement operation as a scripted political play.
Marcos pointed out that detractors pushing the narrative are ignoring formal judicial procedures simply to score political points and smear his leadership.
“God, you see, do you think you talk to him and see if he agrees with you? I don’t think, of course, but this is political, right? It’s not really a comment on what’s happening. It’s not really a belief that it is, in fact, drama,” Marcos said.
“So they have to say that. So that’s what they’re saying. They’re not commenting about. That’s not a comment on the procedures of court. It’s just another attack. We get them a lot,” he added.
Romualdez was arrested last week following allegations that he and former Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co pocketed over P7 billion in illegal kickbacks linked to government infrastructure initiatives between 2022 and 2025.
Authorities served the arrest warrant while Romualdez was hospitalized at Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City, where he was being treated for Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, primary hypothyroidism and other medical conditions.
Malacañang maintained that legal action would proceed impartially, stressing that individuals facing charges will be held accountable regardless of political connections or familial bonds with the Chief Executive.
The arrest stems from investigations into extensive infrastructure irregularities exposed by Marcos himself during last year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), where he uncovered ghost flood control projects, substandard materials, and instances where unfinished works were marked as fully completed and paid out.