Will Iloilo politicians stay away from Romualdez?

By Alex P. Vidal

“Part of me suspects that I’m a loser, and the other part of me thinks I’m God Almighty.” – John Lennon

THERE have been some Iloilo politicians itching to mount a comeback in the next elections who have associated themselves with soon-to-be disgraced former House Speaker and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

This came before the embattled presidential cousin was linked to the multi-billion “ghost” or substandard flood control project furor. Thus, they can’t be faulted for the risky political miscalculation.

Some of them are incumbent Iloilo City Rep. Julienne Baronda and former city mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, who became Romualdez’s “special adviser” on May 1, 2025.

Both Baronda and Mabilog were rumored to be seeking another elective position in the future and were probably hoping Romualdez, with all his influence and wherewithals, could serve as their political Big Brother.

Now that Romualdez has been thrown under the bus by the current administration, those hopes may have altogether shattered. After all, nobody loves the loser.

We can’t blame Baronda and Mabilog though if they will (or they may have already started?) soon begin to backtrack and surreptitiously distance themselves from the politically doomed Romualdez.

-o0o-

For a while, even if his name was already in the radar of the Office of the Ombudsman for a potential plunder case, the 62-year-old Romualdez appeared to be untouchable owing to his blood relationship with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

But it seems, based on recent developments, the chips will really fall where they may.

Even Mr. Marcos Jr. might find it hard to wave the magic wand to save his cousin’s ass—unless the president will risk a turbulent public outrage if he applies arm-twisting tactics to influence the Office of the Ombudsman.

Effective April 26, 2026, the Sandiganbayan issued a precautionary hold departure order (PHDO) against Romualdez due to allegations of his involvement in a multi-billion-peso kickback scheme linked to government flood control projects.

The Office of the Ombudsman sought the travel restriction, citing concerns that the lawmaker might flee to avoid potential plunder, graft, and money laundering charges.

-o0o-

THE REAL McCOY.  Although frequently associated with Darwinism, the phrase “survival of the fittest” was coined by Herbert Spencer, an English sociologist. It is the process by which organisms that are less well-adapted to their environment tend to perish and better-adapted organisms tend to survive.

IGNORE THE EARTHQUAKE SOOTHSAYERS. The test of a hypothesis is whether it makes predictions that are borne out. Unfortunately, geologists do not yet have a clear enough understanding of earthquake phenomena to predict reliably and consistently where and when earthquakes will occur.

STAND UP STRAIGHT. This sounds so ridiculously simple, but it’s one of the most evidential traits of those women we so admire. Stand against a wall with head, shoulder blades, and heels touching, and buttocks pushed into the wall.

THEY CAN BE REMOVED, AFTER ALL. Tattoos can be removed by skin grafting, by infrared coagulation treatment, or by salabrasion in which table salt is scrubbed into the anesthetized skin. The hypertonic irritant solution disperses the tattoo pigment particles. Scars will be produced.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines. – Ed)