Remedios T. Romualdez - Scandal

Scandal

In the 1930s, Attorney Estela Romualdez Sulit, daughter of older brother Miguel Romualdez, was involved in a bar test scandal. The answers to the bar examinations were leaked and the Romualdez name was dragged into the newspapers.

This incident barely affected the Norberto Romualdezes who at this time were enjoying affluence in their homes in Mandaluyong, Ermita and Pasay.

This also did not affect much the fortunes of Miguel, who have since assembled choice Manila properties for rental and commercial deals.

However, for the easygoing Vicente, this was a death sentence. As administrator to Norberto's Romualdez Law Offices, many clients disassociated themselves from the firm. Vicente Orestes Romualdez's nest egg was slowly denuded to nothing.

One by one the maids started to disappear. Later, Vicente Orestes' prized Berlina limousine was repossessed by Estrella del Norte where he previously purchased it and which was the same car that carried Remedios to the then high class San Juan de Dios Hospital to give birth to Imelda. The gates to the two story home began to rust and the hardwood floors no longer shimmered.

Remedios, barraged with ill feelings from Lourdes, tried her best to keep her household together. Since it would be improper to sell her wares while using the Romualdez name, she resorted to the Asilo nuns who readily spread the word that Meding's famous galantinas, embutidos and tocinos were available once more. Many among the wealthy came eager to buy--- only through the Asilo. With the help of a niece-in-law, Cecilia Planas Romualdez (wife of Miguel Jr), she also started selling embroidered baby's clothes covertly under the name of "R. Trinidad" so as to confuse the emporium owners that they were dealing with Ricardo, her brother. The baby's clothes were bestsellers among the window shops of the Escolta in Santa Cruz district.

She repeatedly made the voyage to Tacloban to put things in order. At that time, some encargados were pocketing money from the abaca and coconut plantation on Gran Capitan left by Doña Tidad to her son Señor Orestes (these properties were actually purchased by Norberto for his own children. Instead, he named it to his mother Doña Tidad out of pure love and to lend credence that the Romualdezes were "landed". Doña Tidad, knowing that Miguel and Nonoy were far more astute and will lead affluent lives, deeded the choicest properties to her youngest Señor Orestes, whom she knew would be the weakest, though most handsome, among her three children). Meding used part of the money she earned selling meats and embroideries to this matter.

Remedios, true to her merchant background, toiled very hard to save the Vicente Orestes Romualdez branch from outright indignation from Manila's elite.