Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
I'm Natashya Gutierrez, an award-winning journalist and on this limited series podcast, I take you... On Assignment With Me. Join me as I explore global stories, meet trailblazers and newsmakers, and take you behind the scenes of my investigations. My journalistic curiosity meets intimacy on this assignment, and you're invited.
Hi, thank you for coming On Assignment with Me, Natasha Gutierrez. On this podcast, I take you behind the scenes with me on investigations, interviews, and assignments. Every episode, we talk about a specific topic or go on assignment. For this episode, my assignment is to introduce myself, talk about why I decided to start my podcast, and break an exclusive story that's never been reported on anywhere else. So let's get started.
Natashya:So I've been a journalist for almost fifteen years. It was my very first job out of college, and it's the only real job that I've ever taken on ever since. When I graduated from university, I looked for jobs in The Philippines because that's where I was born and raised. I was born in Manila and spent all of my childhood there. I only really left the country when I went to university in The US.
Natashya:After that, I reached out to Maria Ressa, who I've always admired, whose career I had followed. She had been the bureau chief of CNN for Southeast Asia based in Jakarta. And I reached out to her on Twitter. I literally slid into her DMs and I introduced myself and I said, Hi, I'm Natashya. I'm a college student.
Natashya:I'm really interested in journalism. Could you give me any tips or advice? And at that time, she immediately replied to me on Twitter, now X, and said, "You know what? I'd love to get on a Skype with you." And this is aging me a bit because Skype is no longer around, but we got on a Skype the next day.
Natashya:I remember this so clearly. And she told me about Rappler. She told me that she was starting a news outlet in The Philippines and if I would be interested to be one of their first reporters. I was in my early 20s, didn't study journalism in college because the university I went to, at Yale, didn't really offer a journalism major. I was doing it on the side in terms of extra curricular activities. I was the editor in chief of a human rights journal when I was a college student there, and only had one internship.
Natashya:I actually did intern in my sophomore year at a TV station, but didn't really have any experience aside from that. And so to get an offer from Maria Ressa, the Maria Ressa, to join and help start a news website, and at that time that was all, that was very revolutionary. We were the first digital news outlet in The Philippines, fully digital. I jumped at the opportunity and I said yes. And after having lived in The US for four years throughout university and a year after, I packed my bags and flew home to Manila and didn't tell my mom I was gonna come home, knocked on her door, and she was so surprised.
Natashya:She said, What are you doing here? And I said, I've come back to be a journalist. She couldn't fathom why I would come back home. But I really had such a deep desire to not just be a journalist, but also to report on the country that I grew up in. And, you know, that has completely influenced why I even wanted to be a journalist.
Natashya:Growing up in Manila and the Philippines, you know, we were constantly surrounded by inequality, by poverty, and I knew I wanted to do something about it, or at least help tell their stories, tell the stories of the country, maybe try to help to change policies and laws that could perhaps make life easier or better for Filipinos. And that really is where my passion for journalism came from. You know, I completely credit it to the fact that I grew up in The Philippines and I love Filipinos and I love the stories that we all share and I love our background and I love the country incredibly so much so that I want to help make it better. And to me, it was journalism. I love to tell stories, I loved writing, I loved reading, and it felt like a natural path for me.
Natashya:And so I came home and I was one of the very lucky first 12 members of the Rappler team. And together, you know, we built Rappler, we launched Rappler. I remember going on the field with our iPhones and our cell phones with all the big TV cameras around us, ABS CBN, GMA, and we were all covering the same thing. And then soon enough, we were breaking stories because we were able to just upload them on YouTube quickly, even without big satellite dishes and stuff. And so we really did, I think at that time, revolutionize news in The Philippines, and it was so much fun.
Natashya:It really was some of the best years of my life, really, learning from the best and just having that adrenaline and that rush and that excitement to report stories and to be doing something new with like minded people and feel that we were contributing to the growth of the country. So that was my first job. I was a multimedia reporter for Rappler. I covered sports. I covered many Pacquiao fights to start.
Natashya:Then slowly transitioned into politics. I was a Malacanang reporter under President Aquino for a few years. And then I was assigned to open the first international newsroom for Rappler in Indonesia. I became bureau chief in Jakarta and started an incredible team of young reporters there. Whatever I learned from Manila, from building, from being part of that team, that beginning team at Rappler, I brought over to Indonesia.
Natashya:And I hired incredibly talented young journalists, and we created Rappler Indonesia, and we reported on amazing stories, brought Indonesia to the rest of the world. But unfortunately, that didn't last too long. I had to come home after two years because that was the time that former president Rodrigo Duterte then took office and attacked Rappler. You know, there was a push for closure at that time, and Maria decided that we needed all hands on deck, and that's why I left Jakarta prematurely, came back to Manila, and, you know, fight for press freedom really. And in total, was at Rappler for seven years.
Natashya:Again, some of the most incredible years of my life, I've met just the best people, everything I know about news and reporting and media and journalism. I've learned from that newsroom, from Maria, from Glenda Gloria, Beth Frondoso, Chay Hofilena, the four incredible women co founders of Rappler who I will forever be indebted to for teaching me everything I know about journalism. And I'm so proud of the work that they're doing. And I'm always, always, always going to be proud of that Rappler newsroom. So after seven years though, at Rappler, I decided I wanted to go elsewhere and report on other stories outside The Philippines, but still within Asia.
Natashya:And that's something that I've stayed true to. It's Asia that I feel the most passionate about, this region, people. And so I moved to Singapore and became editor in chief of VICE News. So VICE is a New York based or was a New York based newsroom, It actually started in Montreal, but they were expanding to Asia Pacific at that time that I joined them. They already had some offices across Asia, but they needed an editor in chief to sort of pull it in together.
Natashya:And that was the role that I took on for five years. I was at VICE and again, also really incredible to be able to start the news operations for advice in this region, and to be able to report from such a diverse group of countries all the way from Australia to India, you know, and Southeast Asia and all the countries in between. At that time, I was able to go to Kabul, to Afghanistan, and report from there. I was able to report on scams from Cambodia and Thailand. I reported a lot in The Philippines too.
Natashya:That's something, again, that I've always been passionate about. And I've met amazing journalists from across the region and had the incredible opportunity also to mentor some of them. And when VICE declared bankruptcy and closed down the Asia Pacific office in 2023, it was heartbreaking, really. You know, I think we were doing amazing things and we were telling amazing stories from a side of the world that not a lot of people hear from. And I was so proud of the Asian stories we were bringing to the world that that really, I think struck me.
Natashya:The closure of that newsroom was painful. And I still miss it. I still miss that energy. I still miss being able to lead and manage amazing, talented, dedicated reporters, to be able to work also with my colleagues in Europe and New York, but it also proved to be a turning point for me. So after VICE closed down, I sort of was at a loss as to what I wanted to do next, but also for the first time, I wasn't working for a specific newsroom for the first time in eleven, twelve years, right?
Natashya:So I really paused and thought really hard about what I wanted to do next. I'm Sydney based now. This is where I am after living in Manila, Jakarta, Singapore, working from newsrooms there. I've moved to Sydney. So I've been freelancing from here, traveling still to do stories for ABC, which is the Australia Broadcasting Corporation, Al Jazeera, specifically 101 East, which is their current affairs program that is focused on Asia Pacific, and Channel News Asia, which is based out of Singapore.
Natashya:So these are some of networks I've been working with. I've pivoted more towards television and long form. So most of my work have been first on TV and then is viewed online. In fact, just last week, my most recent documentary for Al Jazeera just aired. It's on the flood control corruption in the Philippines.
Natashya:And again, all of this sort of built up together, built up together, built up together to the point that I finally decided to start my own podcast. And so that is how I'm now sitting here in front of you. Basically, throughout my investigations for other networks, I come across or I discover certain things, certain revelations that sometimes don't necessarily make it on the final cut. And I want to be able to share my experiences behind the scenes, people I've interviewed, how we created certain documentaries and reports, the challenges of that, but also to be able to share exclusive stories in my own way, on my own platform, and that's what's led me to a podcast. Now, for now, On Assignment With Me is a limited series podcast.
Natashya:I want to focus my first season on, again, something that feels very close to my heart, which is the corruption scandal that's ongoing in The Philippines. As I've explained earlier, I love this country very, very much, and I want to be able to contribute in whatever way I can, and it's quite hard to just look away if we're talking about what's now being coined as the biggest corruption scandal in Philippine history. And if that's truly the case, I cannot personally sit down and not be involved in reporting this story. And that's largely another reason why I've started this podcast. I've long thought about creating my own platform, especially after the heartbreak of having to close down two newsrooms, Rappler Indonesia and Vice Asia Pacific.
Natashya:And it made me really start think about starting my own thing. What can I, how can I create something that might have, that I might have more control over, wherein I can be more independent? And it's led me here. And so even if it's a limited series for now, I hope you're able to support it and join me on assignment and see where this assignment goes. This assignment that I've given myself is to start a podcast, and I'm so happy that you're listening to my first episode.
Natashya:We'll see where this takes us, but I'm excited to be recording this episode. But that is a ten minute introduction of who I am and why I'm here and what I hope to bring and why I want you to join me. So before we dive into the exclusive story that I promised everybody today, I just want to use this opportunity to ask everyone to subscribe on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts, send me your tips on natashyagutierrez . com. There is a tab up top called podcast, and that should have some details of on assignment with me, but there's also a contact me form on that website. We are unable to do any investigations without your tips.
Natashya:Some of my biggest investigations have been because there were brave people, courageous people who trusted us and gave us tips that we then investigated. One huge example I think is for those who are living in The Philippines who might be familiar with one of the other previous corruption scandals before this flood control one, which was the pork barrel scam with Janet Napoles. Well, when I was with Rappler, we broke some stories on the luxury apartments of her daughter, Jean Napoles in Los Angeles, and other properties that they had in The US and those were all tips that were sent to me anonymously that I investigated and reported on. Janet Napoles did sue me for libel, a case that never really made it even to the courts, it was dropped early on. But I tell you the story because I want to emphasize just how important tips are for us and for us to be able to do our work.
Natashya:But I also tell this story because it shows you just how passionate I am about investigating stories, especially in relation to The Philippines. So reach out, natashyagutierrez . com, and if you are very inclined to, you can also buy me a coffee. There's a link there to be able to donate money for coffee. We're always grateful for anything that will keep us awake, means more hours to investigate stories. So let's get started.
Natashya:I started looking into the assets of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. The reason why I was looking into his assets was because he was among the highest government officials being linked to the scandal. Obviously, as House Speaker at the time that the corruption was happening, I was interested to see if his assets might show any changes in his wealth and mere fact that he is the first cousin of the president was very interesting to me. And because he hasn't yet released his statement of assets, liabilities, net worth, or SALN , which is required of any government official, wherein they are meant to declare truthfully their assets and their wealth, I was quite interested in looking deeper into what he owned. And so that is what has led me to our exclusive today.
Natashya:So during the course of that, I then came across a property under his name in New York City that's never been reported on before. So I have the paperwork here, the documents from New York on, from the office of the city register of the city of New York, which tells us that in 2024, Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, as the administrator of the estate of his father, Benjamin Romualdez, acquired a property in Manhattan on 465 Park Avenue, Unit 28A, New York, New York. But the one thing that raises eyebrows about this transaction is that it was a no consideration transfer. What does that mean?
Natashya:Real estate lawyers that I've spoken to say that a no consideration transfer means that the apartment unit, this luxurious apartment unit, was gifted. A no consideration transfer is used for gifts or donations, and it appears in the paperwork that the property was gifted to the estate of Benjamin Romualdez, received by representative Martin Romualdez, although it does not say in the paperwork why it was donated to them, which lawyers have told me is slightly suspicious because who is donating high end, high value New York City properties to strangers. It appears that, from my investigation, that the previous owner of this apartment building on the Ritz Tower is not related to the Romualdez family. And so why was this donated? The paperwork also does not show that any money was exchanged.
Natashya:And so we want to know why. But when I asked lawyers what could possibly have happened here, you know, they told me just in general that it could mean the property was paid for in cash. It could mean there was a different agreement. There are many ways we can interpret this, but it's hard to know for sure because the paperwork only tells us certain details and we are we were hoping to get those answers as to why from the parties involved. Now the other thing about no consideration transfers is there is no there are no taxes involved.
Natashya:So we want to understand why it was a no consideration transfer. But unfortunately in the affidavit that is also signed by representative Martin, there is no reason given as to why it was a no consideration transfer. It says here, the aforementioned no consideration transfer was made solely for the grounds stated herein. Unfortunately, on the paperwork, there are no grounds stated as to why. So again, it raises more questions for me as to a) why has a complete stranger seemingly donated a high value Manhattan property to the Romualdez family signed and received by Rep.
Natashya:Martin Romualdez? Two. Why was it a no consideration transfer? And three, the other thing that's worth noting in this paperwork is that the lawyer who facilitated the transfer of the property is Andrew Casino. Now, this name is quite familiar because that is the same lawyer who helped a representative Romualdez, transfer his Dover, MA property that was worth $2,240,000 to a corporation for just $1 in July 2025.
Natashya:This is based on a report by Rappler. It's that same lawyer who helped Rep. Martin transfer his Massachusetts property just for $1 to a company, AMMY Inc, that later on Rappler reports is also run or managed by the lawyer Andrew Casino. The other thing about Andrew Casino is he's actually a fraternity brother of Representative Martin, and he sits on the board of one of representative Martin's mining companies, Benguet Corporation. So what do we know about this apartment unit?
Natashya:Well, what we know is that 465 Park Avenue is the Ritz Tower in Manhattan, and I'm now on their website, and it says the Ritz Tower was built in 1925 as the city's most elegant apartment hotel. The Ritz Tower today remains one of Manhattan's most luxurious and sought after residential cooperatives, noted for its spacious and elegant apartments, each one unique. On another website, on City Realty, I can see photos of the Ritz Tower, and it looks very glam. I think what also stands out to me is that it's located at the intersection of Park Avenue and 57th Street, which means that it's close to Central Park, high end shopping and fine dining. And the cooperative allows pied a terre, which means, you know, it doesn't have to be your first residence, it could be just something as a second home for vacationers, allows for foreign purchasers and corporate ownership structures.
Natashya:It also says that there's 142 apartments in the building, and the Ritz Tower maintains its tradition of luxury service. Residents enjoy an array of hotel style amenities, including a full time chef offering lunch and dinner service, twenty four hour doorman and concierge, housekeeping, valet, and porter services. The building features a state of the art fitness center, meaning our party room and business center, so it does sound quite glam. Now, for the specific apartment that Representative Martin owns, we actually don't know if it's a two bedroom or one bedroom. I cannot seem to find that information on the site because it wasn't sold publicly.
Natashya:Again, it was no consideration transfer, it was donated or gifted to the Romualdezes, and what we do know though, because I was looking at prices, is that units in this building actually are quite varied. So Redfin, which is a real estate website, estimates the property of Representative Martin, the 28 A unit at $4,700,000 Okay, that is the estimate that's online on Redfin. But I do have to mention it on PropertyShark, which is another real estate website, the units in the Ritz Tower vary in purchase price from $150,000 to $4,200,000 So we don't actually know how much this unit costs, but judging from the description of the Ritz Tower, it does sound like a luxury property. And even if it is under the estate of his father, and let's say it's not fully owned by him, again, I want to emphasize that lawyers I've spoken to have said that it should still be reported by Representative Martin on his SALN . Why is that?
Natashya:Because he will still get a portion of this because he is a beneficiary of the estate of his father. So again, it is illegal to not be truthful in your SALN . So hopefully this property is on his SALN . And if it is, then hopefully we'll get more answers as to why this transaction transpired the way it did as a donation with no money seemingly exchanged. I do not know if this property is in his SALN because I've asked for a copy of it.
Natashya:I've emailed him and followed up repeatedly, I would say maybe five times over the last week and even before that for Al Jazeera, actually you can see on the documentary that when he visited the Independent Commission on Infrastructure, I asked him directly, will you release your SALN? And he said he would only, he said he would if the ICI were to ask it. And I looked at the Ritz Tower, which is where this high value property is, and I found that there are now as of 2025 three properties under Andrew Casino's name under attorney Casino's name at the Ritz Tower. It's Ritz Tower 18D, Ritz Tower Floor 35, Unit 35, and Unit 18A. So two properties, Unit 18D and Unit 35 at the Ritz Tower were transferred to attorney Casino in March 2025, on the same day, 03/05/2025.
Natashya:I'm unable to tell you who the previous owner was because it's an LLC, but the address of both LLCs are the same address as Andrew Casino. The third property, Unit 18A, was transferred in June 2025, so just a few months ago, by a private seller to Andrew Casino. Now I've also reached out and asked attorney Casino and representative Martin if these three additional properties that are now in Casino's name just as of 2025 are actually owned by the Romualdezes because right now, he is just Casino attorney Casino is just listed as trustee as a trustee of these three properties. And I asked them if these three additional properties at the same building actually belong to the Romualdez family. Unfortunately, I did not hear from attorney Casino or Representative Martin on that question.
Natashya:So there are three things to note here. One, why was a New York high value property donated to their Romualdez family? Two, by a seemingly, by a stranger it seems. Two, why was it a no consideration transfer? And three, why are there three more properties under the lawyer's name?
Natashya:The same lawyer who's a fraternity brother of Representative Martin who helped transfer another property in Massachusetts. There are a few questions here that unfortunately I can't answer because I did not hear any responses, but I do have recorded here all the times that I've followed up with them. So I first sent this email to representative Martin, attorney Casino, and the private owner who sold it to them. And in those letters that I first sent on November 20, I followed up yet again on November 21, on November 25, on November 26, on email, on WhatsApp, on Viber. I even called attorney Casino's number and left a voicemail, did not get a response.
Natashya:Representative Martin, I've messaged him four three, four times on Viber as well. Did not hear a response. Emailed, two different addresses of his office that have previously responded to to me, and did not get a response. So I want to read to you the questions that I've thrown to representative Martin because these are the questions that we still want answers to. We would like to confirm that the previous owner of the Ritz Tower apartment that he acquired is unrelated to him or his family.
Natashya:If so, kindly explain why the property was transferred to you, Representative Martin, via a no consideration transfer, which is reserved only for gifts and donations. I told him, Your fraternity brother Andrew R. Casino helped facilitate the transfer of the property. Three other properties in the same building are under his name as a trustee (as of twenty twenty five). Please confirm if these properties, specifically Units 18A, 18D, and 35 are yours or your family's.
Natashya:And we respectfully request a copy of your latest statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth. I've given them a week to respond, which is standard for journalism practice. I've actually extended that a couple more days before recording this podcast, and I have yet to hear any responses, but I sure hope that after this podcast, we can get more answers from representative Martin himself or his lawyer. So hopefully, you know, we get more answers from Representative Martin about this New York property and the questions that we have and learn more about his assets. And I think that's what I just need to emphasize is that this is what happens when government officials don't release their sell ends, when we are blindly, we don't know how much wealth that our government officials have accumulated when we aren't able to see their cell ends.
Natashya:And we are left, journalists are left, the public are left to wander, to investigate, and do their own work and digging into what properties and what assets and what aircraft and what is the wealth of our government officials. And I think also, I think that emphasizes, again, the work of journalists, but also the cooperation between the public and journalists, which again brings me to please give me your tips. If you've heard anything about anyone who might be linked to the scam, please let me know. We wanna try to investigate all of that. But I do want to clarify that I do not at all mean to suggest that the money used, if money was exchanged to acquire this property is from flood control projects, that's not the point.
Natashya:The point I am making here is that Representative Martin and his family own, recently acquired in 2024, a New York City apartment in a luxury building, and there are a few suspicious elements about it.