The health condition of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez came under scrutiny from Filipinos following reports of his arrest on plunder charges while confined at a hospital.
The Leyte representative was presented with an arrest warrant on Monday, September 7, in connection with a P7.44-billion plunder case involving flood control, infrastructure, and other government projects funded under the national budgets from 2022 to 2025.
READ: Sandiganbayan orders arrest of president’s cousin over alleged kickbacks of P7.4 billion
Romualdez, his aide Joselyn Tragua Serenio, former lawmaker Zaldy Co and businessman Felicito Cristobal Guevarra were accused of receiving at least P7.44 billion in commissions, shares, kickbacks, “commitments” and other financial benefits on at least 15 occasions.
Before the arrest, Romualdez had been confined at Cardinal Santos Medical Center (CSMC) for hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, unstable angina, coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular ischemic disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia and primary hypothyroidism.
The lawmaker also underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), or angioplasty, due to coronary artery disease.
Romualdez was confined on the same day that the Sandiganbayan issued an arrest warrant against him.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said that the lawmaker is now considered a Person Deprived of Liberty (PDL) after police read him his rights at the hospital.
Remulla said that Romualdez was “suffering from a cardiovascular event,” had an “unstable” blood pressure, and was “having an anxiety attack.”
The Cabinet official said they will “check” on the lawmaker “every day until he is well enough to be presented to court.”
Photos of Romualdez’s arrest while confined were also posted on social media, prompting some Filipinos to scrutinize images of him on bed rest.
“The Vitals of Martin Romualdez do not require Medical Emergency,” a Facebook page said in a post that shared a zoomed-in image of the lawmaker’s vital signs displayed on a monitor beside his bed.
His heart rate was 98 beats per minute, his blood pressure was 148/90, and his O2 saturation was 99%.
“148/90 BP. Hypertensive. Pero tama ka. Not emergency. Pero very relax ang heart rate 81,” a Facebook user commented.
“Vital signs are stable… 148/90 is a little bit high, take some losartan or amlodipine or Metoprolol. But this will not give you a stroke… O2 saturation is good. It is all for OPTICS,” another wrote.
“O2 is 99, why is he [on] oxygen?” a different Pinoy commented.
“99% O2 pero may gamit na oxygen????? Sinong doctor niya?” another asked.
“Remulla’s ‘sobrang putla’ line does not match the vitals in the room. The monitor showed a heart rate in the 80s, oxygen at 99%, and blood pressure that was high—not collapsing. That is not the picture of someone pale from shock or failing circulation,” another Pinoy commented.
“Martin Romualdez is naturally fair. Put that complexion under hospital lights, on white sheets, with an orange shirt only draped on him for the booking photo, and, of course, he looks light. That is skin tone and lighting, not proof of a crash,” the Pinoy added.
“If the point was medical urgency, cite the numbers and the trend—not a color comment that the equipment in the same room does not support,” the Facebook user continued.
A normal resting heart rate for adults typically ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute.
Meanwhile, a blood pressure reading of 148/90 mmHg falls under Stage 2 hypertension.
On the other hand, an oxygen saturation level of 99% is generally considered within the normal range.
The flood control scandal
The Ombudsman noted that the plunder charges against Romualdez, Co and two others stemmed from testimonies from “several witnesses,” including former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, former DPWH Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara and Co’s security aides.
Both Bernardo and Alcantara became state witnesses in cases linked to the flood control scandal before the Sandiganbayan.
Romualdez has repeatedly decried the Ombudsman’s “prejudgment” against him, particularly its characterization of him as the “mastermind” of the flood control scandal.
The Palace said it respects the Ombudsman’s decision to file a plunder case against Romualdez, the president’s cousin, while emphasizing the need to promote accountability and present the evidence related to his case.
The flood control scandal refers to allegations of corruption involving politicians and contractors in government flood control projects.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. first raised the issue in his fourth State of the Nation Address in July 2025. — with reports from The Philippine STAR/Ghio Ong
