Martin Romualdez’s arrest for his role in the ₱7.4 billion plunder case with Zaldy Co and two others is no cause for celebration. Filipinos must remember: in every plunder case against politicians, only three have ever been sentenced while the rest of the powerful walk free. This is not justice. This is just the opening salvo.
Following the removal of then-President Joseph “Erap” Estrada from office, he and his son, then-Mayor of San Juan City Jinggoy Estrada, were charged in a ₱4 billion plunder case involving their jueteng payola and the dishonest use of tobacco excise tax funds. The younger Estrada was acquitted, while his father was convicted to spend his life in prison. Despite the verdict, Erap was pardoned by the then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Plunder cases are routinely thrown out, time and again.
In March 2004, former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante was exposed as the mastermind of the fertilizer fund scam. The fund, supposedly for farmers, was diverted to congressional districts that do not even have farmlands. Panfilo Lacson raised the alarm, but Bolante resigned and fled to the United States to seek asylum before any inquiry could begin. The Sandiganbayan later dismissed the case.
Returning to Estrada’s legacy, Jinggoy is facing his third plunder case this year. The second time was when he was accused of embezzling ₱183 million from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or the pork barrel controversy alongside businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles. Once again, the verdict was that the senator is not guilty.
This is only a fraction of the plunder cases in Philippine history where the accused walk free despite damning evidence. The Sandiganbayan may claim the cases lack corroboration, but the pattern is clear. Charging politicians with plunder has become a mockery of justice.
Public officials are repeatedly charged and arrested for misappropriating funds and amassing ill-gotten wealth, yet the outcome is always the same: dismissal or acquittal.
It is always the same names, the same connections. The people may never know the full extent, but what is clear is the justice system has failed them again and again.
Romualdez is the first cousin of the current president, and that fact will weigh heavily in his trial. His indictment offers a glimmer of hope to Filipinos who have endured the consequences of his and his cronies’ involvement in the flood control kickbacks. But hope alone is not enough. Justice must be delivered.
There is hope, but it must be turned into action.
Romualdez’s arrest is not justice served. The long history of plunder cases ending in dismissals, acquittals, or pardons for the powerful should remind Filipinos to remain vigilant and skeptical. This is only the beginning. The real test is whether the justice system will finally hold him accountable.
