Acidre says services for Romualdez’s constituents continue amid suspension
Assistance and aid for the constituents of former House Speaker and Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez have continued despite his recent 90-day suspension for his pending case of plunder by the Sandiganbayan Third Division, a lawmaker said.
Tingog Partylist Rep. Jude Acidre said Sunday that Romualdez’s office had continued to garner requests from his constituents, noting that despite the latter’s absence from service the need for support for his constituency remained.
“What’s important is that the service never stops for our fellow Filipinos in Leyte. Helping people in need can not be hindered, especially for families that have hospital fees and those that help for their children’s education,” Acidre said.
The lawmaker stressed that individuals from the 1st congressional district of Leyte had become accustomed to personally approaching Romualdez whenever they needed financial support.
It is with that practice that Acidre highlighted the increasing need for the office to continue functioning while the former House Speaker faced legal troubles.
“What matters now is ensuring that they are continuously served and that their needs are met,” he stated.
The close ally of Romualdez said that the most common requests that the office received was for aid related to hospital bills, educational expenses, and for coordination to government personnel that were assigned to their respective district.
In light of such requests, he maintained that it was crucial for coordination with the national government so that the constituents of the Leyte lawmaker were properly guided.
“Our primary priority is to make sure that no individual from Leyte feels neglected,” Acidre said. “The public needs help on a daily basis, so our concern and service should also be daily.”
Romualdez was issued a preventive suspension order last 10 November as the Sandiganbayan found that the Information filed against him were valid and warranted for such an action to be taken in accordance with the law.
The Ombudsman charged him with plunder over allegations that he amassed P7.4 billion in ill-gotten wealth from 2022 to 2025 with the help of former congressman Zaldy Co, a member of his household staff, and the president of a money exchanging firm.
He is currently detained at the New Quezon City Jail – Male Dormitory, where he was transferred last 14 September after a brief hospital arrest at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan.
Co and the two other co-accused in Romualdez’s case remain at-large.
The Sandiganbayan Third Division is currently conducting bail hearings for the plunder charge, with the prosecution expected to finish its presentation of witnesses by 24 November.