The Supreme Court (SC) en banc on Wednesday dismissed the petition for certiorari filed by Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez against the Office of the Ombudsman, ruling the case moot after a plunder charge against him had already been filed and docketed before the Sandiganbayan, according to a press briefer released by the SC Office of the Spokesperson on November 4, 2026.
At a glance
- Case: G.R. No. E-07826, Rep. Ferdinand Martin Gomez Romualdez v. Office of the Ombudsman
- Date: Supreme Court en banc session, November 4, 2026
- Ruling: petition for certiorari dismissed; prayer for a TRO / writ of preliminary injunction denied
- Reason: moot, because a plunder charge was already filed before the Sandiganbayan, where he was arraigned and pleaded not guilty
- Next: the full Resolution will be uploaded to the SC website once available
Petition Docketed as G.R. No. E-07826
The petition, formally docketed as G.R. No. E-07826 — Rep. Ferdinand Martin Gomez Romualdez v. Office of the Ombudsman, challenged the Ombudsman's conduct of a preliminary investigation against Romualdez. According to the SC Office of the Spokesperson, the petition specifically questioned 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 during the preliminary investigation proceedings.
Temporary Restraining Order Also Denied
Alongside the dismissal of the main petition, the Supreme Court also denied Romualdez's prayer for a temporary restraining order and/or a writ of preliminary injunction. The requested relief would have halted the Ombudsman from proceeding with the preliminary investigation while the certiorari petition remained pending before the Court.
Court Finds Petition Moot After Sandiganbayan Arraignment
The SC ruled that the petition had become moot and academic because a plunder charge had already been filed against Romualdez before the Sandiganbayan, the country's anti-graft court. The Supreme Court noted that Romualdez had already been arraigned before the Sandiganbayan and had entered a plea of not guilty to the plunder charge.
The Court further found no exceptional circumstances that would justify resolving the petition on its merits despite its moot status, according to the SC spokesperson's press briefer.
Full Resolution to Be Posted on SC Website
The Supreme Court said the full text of the en banc Resolution will be uploaded to the official SC website at sc.judiciary.gov.ph once it becomes available, according to the SC Public Information Office, which originally published the announcement on November 4, 2026.
Photo credit: Graphic: Breaking News Negros Oriental
Originally published by the Supreme Court Public Information Office: sc.judiciary.gov.ph/?p=176176