Within three days, Philippine courts issued arrest warrants against two of the most powerful figures from the coalition that carried Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the presidency in 2022: sitting Vice President Sara Duterte and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Marcos’s cousin. The cases are unrelated, but together, however, they place both a leading Marcos rival and a former family ally under active criminal proceedings.
Duterte’s warrant came first. On September 4, Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98 found probable cause to try her on three counts of grave threats tied to remarks she made during a November 2024 online press conference involving Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then-Speaker Romualdez. The Department of Justice had filed the charges in August.
The court set bail at ₱120,000 per count. Duterte appeared at the Quezon City Hall of Justice on September 5, posted ₱360,000 in total bail, and had the warrant lifted. Her lawyers said her appearance constituted a voluntary surrender.
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Duterte has denied making threats, arguing that her remarks were taken out of context, and has characterized the prosecution as political harassment.
Romualdez’s case moved through a separate channel. On September 7, the Office of the Ombudsman filed a plunder case against Romualdez, former House representative Zaldy Co, Romualdez aide Joselyn Tragua Serenio, and businessman Felicito Cristobal Guevarra. Hours later, the Sandiganbayan (court for public officials) Third Division found probable cause and issued arrest warrants and hold-departure orders against all four.
Prosecutors allege Romualdez and his co-accused received at least ₱7.44 billion, roughly $118 million, in commissions, kickbacks, commitments, and other financial benefits on at least 15 occasions involving flood-control, infrastructure, and other government projects funded from 2022 through 2025. The warrants state that no bail is recommended.
Authorities served Romualdez’s warrant at Cardinal Santos Medical Center, where he had been admitted after what Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla described as a cardiovascular event, unstable blood pressure, and an anxiety attack. Remulla said Romualdez is now considered a person deprived of liberty and remains under police guard.
Romualdez has maintained his innocence, while his lawyer said he would face the allegations and seek no special treatment.
Malacañang, the country’s executive palace, has said it respects both proceedings and has not claimed that Marcos directed either warrant.
Duterte now remains free on bail while separately facing an impeachment trial in the Senate that could affect her eligibility for future office. Romualdez, once one of Marcos’s most powerful congressional allies, is in police custody while facing the substantially heavier plunder charge.
