By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — Former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has been placed under medical monitoring at the Quezon City Jail in Payatas following a court order committing him to the facility as a detention prisoner in connection with a plunder case.
The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said Monday night that Romualdez is staying in the jail’s infirmary alongside other persons deprived of liberty who also require medical observation.
The agency said the decision was based on Romualdez’s medical needs and recommendations presented to the Sandiganbayan, which determined that he could be transferred from hospital care to the custody of the jail bureau.
“Considering his medical needs and the medical recommendations presented before the Court,” Romualdez was placed in the infirmary with other PDLs requiring medical monitoring, the BJMP said.
The former Speaker, who represents Leyte’s first district, had remained in medical facilities since his arrest, initially at Cardinal Santos Medical Center and later at the Philippine General Hospital.
The Sandiganbayan’s Third Division issued an order dated September 14 directing Romualdez’s commitment to the male dormitory of the Quezon City Jail.
The court said he is to remain in detention and cannot be moved, transferred or released unless it issues another order.
Romualdez is facing a plunder charge involving allegations of PHP7.2 billion in kickbacks. He has maintained his innocence.
The court also scheduled his arraignment and pre-trial proceedings for 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 16.
The BJMP, meanwhile, said Romualdez’s placement in the infirmary is consistent with its policies and the court’s directives to ensure that his medical requirements are addressed while in detention.
The jail bureau also emphasized that all persons under its custody are to be treated fairly and humanely, regardless of their position or status.
The development places Romualdez under jail custody ahead of Wednesday’s scheduled court proceedings, where the plunder case against him is set to move into the arraignment stage.
ia/xf
