A plunder charge already filed and docketed before the Sandiganbayan rendered moot a petition by Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez seeking to challenge the Office of the Ombudsman — prompting the Supreme Court en banc to dismiss the case on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
Case Docketed as G.R. No. E-07826
The petition, formally recorded as G.R. No. E-07826 — Rep. Ferdinand Martin Gomez Romualdez v. Office of the Ombudsman, was a certiorari petition contesting the Ombudsman's conduct of a preliminary investigation against Romualdez. The SC Office of the Spokesperson said the petition raised objections to the Ombudsman's application for a preliminary hold departure order, an application for a freeze order against Romualdez, and the alleged use of inadmissible evidence in the course of the preliminary investigation.
Injunction Request Also Turned Down
The Supreme Court likewise denied Romualdez's prayer for a temporary restraining order and/or writ of preliminary injunction, according to the SC Office of the Spokesperson. That requested relief, had it been granted, would have stopped the Ombudsman from proceeding with the preliminary investigation while the certiorari petition was still pending before the Court.
Arraignment at Sandiganbayan Renders Petition Moot
The en banc ruled that the petition had become moot and academic given that a plunder charge had already been filed against Romualdez before the Sandiganbayan, the country's anti-graft court. The Court noted that Romualdez had already been arraigned and had entered a plea of not guilty to the plunder charge before the Sandiganbayan.
The SC Office of the Spokesperson's press briefer further stated that the Court found no exceptional circumstances that would warrant resolving the petition on its merits notwithstanding its moot status.
Full Resolution to Be Released Online
According to the SC Public Information Office, which published the announcement on November 4, 2026, the complete text of the en banc Resolution will be uploaded to the official Supreme Court website at sc.judiciary.gov.ph once it becomes available.
Source: Supreme Court of the Philippines Public Information Office
Originally published by the Supreme Court Public Information Office: sc.judiciary.gov.ph/?p=176176