The columnist says he was fed a wrong report, as DILG chief Jonvic Remulla dismisses the sneak-out story as ‘chismis’
MANILA (November 5, 2026) – Columnist Ramon “Mon” Tulfo has taken back his explosive claim that former House Speaker Martin Romualdez had been sneaking in and out of the Quezon City Jail, admitting on Thursday that his information was wrong.
“I was fed the wrong report that former Speaker Martin Romualdez could go in and out of jail,” Tulfo wrote on Facebook. He said the story, “complete with all the details like riding in an ambulance and the brownouts taking place,” turned out to be false.
“It was fiction. I goofed. No excuses. I should have first checked and cross-checked that report I received on Romualdez,” he added, calling it one of the most “embarrassing and humiliating” experiences for a journalist.
Cease-and-desist letter
The retraction came after Romualdez’s camp sent Tulfo a cease-and-desist letter on Wednesday. His lawyer Via Valdecantos told the Sandiganbayan Third Division that the posts were “very damaging to our client because it has a tendency to inflame the public.”
Tulfo’s earlier post, citing a source he called his “tweety bird,” alleged that the jail’s power was cut so CCTV cameras would not record Romualdez leaving. The claim triggered a BJMP probe and a warning from the Palace.
Remulla: ‘Chismis lang yan’
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla also shot down the story on Thursday. “Chismis lang yan. I would like all of you to join me and view the CCTV footage for the entire duration na nandoon siya,” he told reporters.
Remulla said Romualdez, the President’s cousin, receives very few visitors, mostly his lawyers and family, and has lost about 100 pounds in the past year.
Despite the retraction, the anti-graft court has ordered the BJMP to submit a notarized report by Monday, November 9, with CCTV and access logs, and directed that Romualdez not be moved from the jail without its order.