THE camp of former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Thursday welcomed broadcaster Ramon Tulfo’s admission that his allegations about the former House leader secretly leaving his detention facility were false, citing the jail superintendent’s testimony disputing the claims and underscoring the responsibility of journalists to verify serious accusations before publishing them.
“We welcome Mr. Ramon Tulfo’s public acknowledgment that the allegations he circulated concerning former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez’s supposed unauthorized movements outside his detention facility were false. Mr. Tulfo has admitted that he was fed incorrect information, failed to independently verify it, and subsequently passed it on to the public,” lawyer Ade Fajardo, counsel for Romualdez, stressed.
Tulfo had claimed in a November 3 Facebook post that Romualdez secretly left and returned to the New Quezon City Jail through a backdoor staircase leading to a waiting ambulance while the jail warden supposedly cut electricity to prevent security cameras from recording his movements, but the broadcaster subsequently acknowledged that the information he received was erroneous.
“He has now described the allegations as fiction. This public retraction is significant, particularly because the allegations had already circulated widely and subjected our client to public suspicion and criticism,” Fajardo emphasized.
The former House leader’s legal team also pointed to the testimony of the jail superintendent as further support for Romualdez’s categorical denial, maintaining that the official responsible for overseeing the detention facility had directly contradicted allegations that he was being allowed to leave without authorization.
“It is also consistent with the categorical testimony of Jail Superintendent Pacion, who denied that Mr. Romualdez had been leaving the detention facility or using an ambulance or other vehicle for unauthorized trips,” Fajardo explained.
The statement followed a formal demand letter dated November 4 from the law firm Solis Medina Fajardo Malilong, which directed Tulfo to stop circulating the disputed allegations, refrain from repeating claims that Romualdez had left the jail and immediately remove or correct his original post with a prominent clarification, while warning that legal remedies would be pursued if the demands were ignored or the allegations were republished.
“We appreciate Mr. Tulfo’s willingness to acknowledge his mistake publicly. It takes responsibility to correct an erroneous report, especially after it has gained widespread attention,” Fajardo noted.
In his subsequent Facebook post, Tulfo acknowledged that he had accepted incorrect information from a source and passed it on to his readers without checking its accuracy, describing the experience as embarrassing and humiliating because the report had gone viral and his audience had trusted his account.
“At the same time, the incident demonstrates the serious harm that can result when unverified information is presented to the public as established fact,” Fajardo stressed.
The lawyer maintained that the episode illustrated how damaging allegations could gain public acceptance through repeated circulation despite lacking factual support, particularly when the claims involve a person already facing judicial proceedings and therefore subject to intense public attention.
“Ang kasinungalingan, kapag paulit-ulit na ipinakalat, ay maaaring magmukhang katotohanan. Pero sa huli, ang katotohanan pa rin ang dapat manaig,” Fajardo emphasized.
The November 4 demand letter also invoked the Supreme Court’s ruling in Tulfo v. People, which addressed the responsibility of journalists to verify information obtained from sources, present the other side and promptly correct substantive errors, while the legal team reiterated that legitimate journalism and fair comment must be exercised with due regard for factual accuracy.
“We hope this serves as a reminder that allegations, particularly those involving persons facing judicial proceedings, must be verified before they are published or repeated. Mr. Romualdez remains under lawful detention and continues to respect the authority of the court and the rules of the detention facility,” Fajardo concluded.
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