Martyr to his own greed
For all we know, the script is still being written: hospitalization, special treatment, legal maneuvering, delays — then a convenient way out .
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For all we know, the script is still being written: hospitalization, special treatment, legal maneuvering, delays — then a convenient way out .
When in doubt, board a flight
When the heat is on, apparently, so is the boarding pass.
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano has flown to Singapore on a personal trip. Rep. Leandro Leviste has obtained an extended authority to travel abroad, while his mother, Sen. Loren Legarda, has been on medical leave amid an Ombudsman investigation into alleged solar project anomalies.
Former Rep. Zaldy Co remains abroad while facing Sandiganbayan warrants, including for a P7.4-billion plunder case tied to alleged flood control anomalies.
The circumstances are different, of course. A personal trip. An approved travel authority. Medical leave. A fugitive facing arrest warrants.
If our public health system is truly world-class, why does “medical leave” so often seem to come with a boarding pass?
Luckily, Martin Romualdez is staying. Well, technically, he has to.
The Sandiganbayan has placed him under BJMP custody while it resolves his request to remain at Cardinal Santos Medical Center.
At least someone is staying close enough to test whether our healthcare system is good enough for politicians too.
— Jason Mago
Enshittification
Apple announced another generation of products this week, as it reliably does year after year.
The company deserves credit for still making products people want, but the cadence itself reflects a wider technology culture built around constant iteration, annual refreshes, and the pressure to keep revenue moving.
Products once arrived when there was something substantial enough to justify a new generation. Sony’s PlayStation consoles, for example, traditionally took years between major iterations.
That brings us to “enshittification,” Cory Doctorow’s term for the predictable deterioration of companies after they have secured customer loyalty. First, they give users enormous value, then they shift benefits elsewhere, and eventually they extract more while delivering less. The term was named Macquarie Dictionary’s 2024 Word of the Year.
Governments can deteriorate in much the same way. The Marcos administration now has a highly visible symbol of accountability in the arrest of Martin Romualdez, the President’s own cousin, over alleged flood control corruption. It is the kind of quick win that restores confidence and convinces the public that the system is finally working.
Meanwhile, Manuel Bonoan, who led the DPWH during the time of the controversy, is being positioned to be a state witness. The administration can now point to one large catch while public attention begins to move on.
Romualdez may be a big fish. The more important question is whether the biggest fish has been conveniently left swimming somewhere in Manila.
— Carl Magadia
Martyr Romualdez
Do not applaud yet. Justice has not yet been served.
Unless Martin Romualdez lands in a regular jail cell — stripped of privilege, reduced to skin and bones — the fight is not over.
Yes, his arrest is a silver lining. Falling this far means something.
But do not forget who he is.
He is the President’s cousin. He has money. He had enormous power. And in this country, money and connections can buy many things — influence, access, favors, even a different ending.
Romualdez is a martyr to his own greed — a man brought down by the same hunger for money, influence and power that defined his ascent.
But his arrest is one scene. We have yet to see the ending.
For all we know, the script is still being written: hospitalization, special treatment, legal maneuvering, delays — then a convenient way out.
This is the time for Zaldy Co to talk some more, too. If there is more to tell, tell it. If there is evidence, show it.
And only fools would applaud Romualdez simply because he did not flee the country.
Maybe he chose not to. Maybe he failed to. Or maybe this is just another act in their political cinema.
Martin is rich. Money can buy a good script. Write the introduction. Stage the rising action. Give the audience some drama. Then craft a denouement that favors the man who can afford the ending.
So, no applause yet. Not until justice looks like justice — not privilege wearing handcuffs for the cameras. Not a hospital room instead of a regular, fan-aired jail cell. Not political connections erasing the consequences. Not another powerful man suddenly becoming too sick to face the same system ordinary Filipinos have to endure.
If Romualdez is indeed a martyr, let us be clear about what kind. A martyr to his own greed. Poor man engineered his own downfall.
Arrest is only the beginning. Accountability is the point. It does not stop here.
— Vivienne Angeles
