I mean, if a person acts irresponsibly in his own life, he will pay the consequences. And it’s not so much divine retribution as it’s built into the law of nature.
— American televangelist Pat Robertson
MAYPAJO, Caloocan City — I heard it last night—an ambulance from the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) brought former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez to the New Quezon City Jail in Barangay Payatas on Monday (September 14, 2026) evening.
The ambulance, accompanied by a convoy of Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) personnel, arrived at the prison facility at around 10:49 in the evening. I should have been there to welcome him.
President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (PBBM)’s first cousin had been confined at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) over the weekend.
Although it wasn’t really shown that the Leyte lawmaker was inside the ambulance, BJMP spokesperson Captain Jayrex Bustinera confirmed Romualdez’s arrival at the Payatas jail facility.
Upon his entry, Romualdez was subjected to the standard booking procedures such as medical evaluation, fingerprint, mugshot, interview, and orientation.
Before this, the House’s ex-leader was expected to arrive no later than 6:00 in the evening, and the reason for the apparent delay was not immediately clear.
At noontime on the same day, the Sandiganbayan had ordered Romualdez’s transfer to the QC jail in Payatas following the testimony of PGH director Dr. Gerardo Legaspi that the president’s cousin could be discharged at any time since he was medically stable, based on the examination done by a dozen specialists at the premier state-run hospital.
According to Legaspi, PGH specialists determined that Romualdez has a low risk of heart attack, while his hypertension and diabetes are also controlled.
He also confirmed that the lawmaker is suffering from anxiety and depression, but he said these conditions do not warrant hospital confinement.
Before his confinement in PGH, Romualdez had been staying at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center, where the arrest warrant against him was served on September 7.
With the former House Speaker finally behind bars, I believe at least 6.5 million Filipinos who are living in the poorest conditions because of extreme poverty are now rejoicing.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) had reported that the same number of Filipinos were above the poverty level. That is supposed to make us feel good. However, what are we really looking at—the glass half-full or it being half-empty?
So, with that settled, we strongly say that 6.5 million of us are consequently happy that one plunderer is in jail!
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FOR your comments or suggestions, complaints or requests, just send a message through my email at cipcab2006@yahoo.com or text me at cellphone numbers 09171656792 or 09171592256 during office hours from Monday to Friday. Thank you and mabuhay!
ia/xf
