27/09/2025
Who is Martin Romualdez, and why is he so hard to pin down? His story is as much about legacy as it is about ambition.
Born November 14, 1963, he grew up steeped in politics. His father, Ambassador Benjamin “Kokoy” Romualdez, was Marcos Sr.’s powerful governor of Leyte. His mother Juliette hailed from a landed clan. His aunt is Imelda Marcos, the First Lady of excess.
Educated abroad, Romualdez studied Government at Cornell, earned a management certificate at Harvard, and came home to finish law at UP, passing the bar in 1993. A member of Upsilon Sigma Phi, he joined the same fraternity that produced both Marcos and Ninoy Aquino.
Before politics, he made his mark in media and business, with roles in Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining, the Journal Group of Publications, and as publisher of the Manila Standard. These ventures gave him both influence and networks.
He entered politics in 2007 as congressman for Leyte’s 1st District, served until 2016, lost a Senate bid, then returned in 2019 to become House Majority Leader during the presidency of Duterte. By 2022, with his cousin Bongbong Marcos in Malacañang, he rose to Speaker of the House.
As Speaker, he was both kingmaker and enforcer. He fast-tracked the controversial Maharlika Investment Fund, defended a ₱1-trillion flood control budget over three years, and presided over what many call the most corrupted budget in Philippine history. He also cut VP Sara Duterte’s OVP budget amid the confidential fund scandal. A move that fractured the Marcos–Duterte alliance and culminated in her impeachment.
Meanwhile, questions about his wealth refused to die. His official 2015 SALN showed ₱428 million, but rivals allege it had swollen to ₱3 billion by 2025, counting rumored Forbes Park mansions, private jets, and helicopters.
His office insists his SALN is on file and open for review, but the official, actual numbers are nowhere to be found.
On September 17, 2025, amid public fury over the trillion-peso flood control scandal, Romualdez resigned as Speaker. A three-year reign of efficiency and control collapsed in ignominy.
His mistake? In consolidating power, he allowed the House to become a house of plunderers, feeding lawmakers with budget insertions too fat to ignore. Overwhelmingly elected as Speaker, he ended up dragging the institution down with him.
Yet, Romualdez remains difficult to corner. He lacks charisma, reeks of elitism, but his Ivy League polish, law training, media clout, and dynastic pedigree make him one of the most calculating players in Philippine politics. Like the Marcoses, he plays the long game.
And if his enemies have one fatal flaw, it’s this: they just keep underestimating him.
