MANILA — Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez should receive the same treatment as other detainees and be subject to established legal procedures following his transfer to the Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory in Payatas, Malacañang said Tuesday.
Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said she had not discussed the transfer with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and could not speak for the President’s personal views on the move.
“Hindi ko pa po nakausap patungkol si Pangulo diyan. So, hindi ko mabibigay mismo ‘yung personal na pakiramdam ng Pangulo sa paglilipat kay dating Speaker Romualdez sa Quezon City Jail (I have not yet spoken to the President about this, so I cannot give you the President’s personal thoughts on the transfer of former Speaker Romualdez to the Quezon City Jail),” Castro said.
She said the administration’s position was to follow what the law and legal procedures require, regardless of an accused person’s position or status.
“Kung nakagawa man ng mali sa taumbayan, kailangan lang din pong pantay-pantay kung ano po ang naranasan ng mga akusado. So wala pong dapat na special treatment (If they have done something wrong against the people, accused persons should be treated equally. So, there should be no special treatment),” she said.
Castro also stressed that Romualdez remains presumed innocent because the court has yet to issue a final judgment in the case against him.
“Hangga’t wala pa po kasing naibibigay na panghuhusga with finality ang isang korte, ang presumption pa rin po niyan ay inosente sila. Nagkataon lang po na mga kasong kinakaharap nila ay no bail, no bail recommended ang ibinibigay at sinasabi at pinaguutos ng korte (As long as a court has not issued a final judgment, they are still presumed innocent. It just so happens that the cases they are facing are ones in which bail is either not allowed or not recommended, as determined and ordered by the court),” Castro said.
The Sandiganbayan ordered Romualdez’s transfer from the Philippine General Hospital to the Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory on Monday after PGH doctors found him clinically stable and no longer in need of continued hospital confinement. The jail’s Bureau of Jail Management and Penology said Romualdez was placed in its infirmary with other persons deprived of liberty who require medical monitoring.
BJMP spokesperson Jail Superintendent Jayrex Bustinera said Romualdez arrived at the facility at about 10:49 p.m. Monday and that authorities had received no reports of security threats or untoward incidents related to his detention.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Romualdez’s room is shared with three other persons deprived of liberty. The room is not air-conditioned but has exhaust fans for air circulation.
Romualdez faces a plunder case filed by the Office of the Ombudsman before the Sandiganbayan along with former House Appropriations Committee chairperson Zaldy Co and two private individuals.
The Ombudsman accused them of accumulating about P7.4 billion in alleged ill-gotten wealth through kickbacks, “commitments” and other schemes linked to government infrastructure projects.
Castro said the Palace would leave to jail authorities the decision on whether to release additional photographs of Romualdez inside the facility amid questions about his treatment in detention.
Meanwhile, Remulla said he plans to travel to France to make representations concerning Co’s reported bid for asylum and the government’s effort to secure an Interpol Red Notice against the former lawmaker.
Remulla said he has been coordinating with French authorities and expects to announce his travel schedule once his appointments are finalized.
“Kapag na set ko na lahat ng appointments, I will announce it (trip to France) to you and I will update you (If all the appointments are set, I will announce it to you and I will update you),” Remulla told reporters.
He said the trip would include efforts to secure the Red Notice, which has not yet been issued.
“Hopefully, it’ll be issued. It’s not been issued yet. So we’re going there to make sure that it’s issued. That’s on my part. That’s on law enforcement’s part,” Remulla said.
The government has been pursuing an Interpol Red Notice against Co, who is facing plunder allegations in the Philippines. Remulla earlier said he would travel to France to follow up on the request.
Remulla also said he had not received any indication from Co’s camp that the former lawmaker intended to surrender.
He clarified that his planned trip to France is separate from the visit of his brother, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, who is also scheduled to travel there on a different flight and for a separate mission.
During the same briefing, Castro said the Philippines’ membership in the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure would help the government incorporate scientific assessments and projected climate conditions into infrastructure planning.
She said Marcos wanted roads, bridges and other public infrastructure to account for climate risks.
“Ang mga bridges, ang mga roads ay dapat na isinasagawa na naaayon na sa science at naaayon na po sa klima na maaari nating maranasan ngayon at sa mga susunod na taon dahil ang mga maaaring imprastruktura noon ay hindi na siya fit, hindi na tugma sa maaari nating maranasan dala ng climate change (Bridges and roads should be built in accordance with science and the climate conditions we may experience now and in the coming years, because infrastructure built in the past may no longer be suitable or adequate for the conditions we may face due to climate change),” she said.
Photo courtesy of DZRH
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