There were reports that circulated, claiming that former speaker Martin Romualdez is allowed to go in and out of the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas where he is detained.
Romualdez, cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has been under arrest since September 7, when the Office of the Ombudsman charged him with a P7.4-billion plunder case.
What’s the real score? Is the once powerful lawmaker enjoying special treatment?
“News…have been circulating online. So to find out the truth of that matter, we have called this hearing,” said Sandiganbayan 3rd Division chairperson Associate Justice Karl Miranda, whose chamber handles the plunder case.
Miranda called on two Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) officials — Jail Superintendent Maria Lourdes Pacion (warden) and Jail Chief Inspector Henry Fabro (jail doctor) — to clarify reports.
“I categorically deny the information and we did not…. Since the commitment of Congressman Martin Romualdez…. He just stayed in the room…. He did not go out riding an ambulance or any other vehicle,” Pacion told the court during the hearing on Thursday, November 5.
Pacion said Romualdez is currently detained inside a dormitory cell. He spent the first three weeks in Payatas jail inside the infirmary due to hypertension.
“There is an embedded air condition in the infirmary…I think so that the patient will feel comfortable,” the jail warden said when asked if there is air-conditioning inside the infirmary.
The jail warden said Romualdez has no personal security inside the jail, but he has personal staff who looks after him. Pacion said his staff has been staying inside the jail since Romualdez was detained on September 14, and attends to the congressman’s personal needs.
Is this even allowed by BJMP rules? Detainees’ relatives or lawyers normally have to schedule visits when needed.
Pacion said: “Actually I approved it because we cannot supply 24/7 [staff] who will assist [Romualdez]… His mental state is not yet stable…. We cannot hire any more persons to put for the personal needs of [the] congressman.”
“It’s actually human considerations…. It’s a case to case basis. It’s the prerogative of the warden, what’s needed for a certain person deprived of liberty (PDL),” she added.
Pacion further defended her decision and said that there had been a case in the past when she allowed a relative of a PDL to stay within the jail area because the PDL needed special care at the time.
“Because BJMP has no [program] tending to special care,” the jail warden said, “I allowed the relative to stay in the area.”
Must Read How Martin Romualdez avoided jail by going to hospital
Mon Tulfo retracts claims vs Romualdez
On Thursday, media personality Ramon Tulfo posted a statement on Facebook, retracting his claim that Romualdez is allowed to go in and out of his detention cell in Payatas.
“I was fed the wrong report that former speaker Martin Romualdez could go in and out of jail. Complete with all the details like riding in an ambulance and the brownouts taking place so he would not be seen going out and coming back in,” said Tulfo.
“No such” thing happened when the facts started coming in yesterday. It was fiction. I goofed. No excuses,” he added.
Romualdez’s lawyer, Ade Fajardo, confirmed to reporters that they have a cease and desist letter against Tulfo.
“The allegations are not harmless pieces of gossip. They impute serious misconduct and extraordinary privileges within a detention facility, and cast aspersions upon the integrity of the officials and personnel tasked with administering our Client’s detention,” said the letter.
During the Thursday hearing, Pacion reiterated that their jail has strict security protocols. Apart from closed circuit televisions (CCTV), security personnel also check all vehicles — including ambulances — that go in and out of the compound.
“They [staff] inspect going out and going in [vehicles]…. Including vehicles of personnel and visitors,” the jail warden said.
The hearing will continue on Monday.
In the meantime, the court ordered BJMP officials to review all CCTV footage from the time Romualdez entered the facility, up to November 4. Pacion and other officials are also required to submit a notarized report detailing Romualdez’s whereabouts based on the recordings.
The officials are also ordered to submit the following, among others:
- Maintenance records of CCTVs
- CCTV access logs
- Records of any power interruption in Payatas jail
- Vehicle entry and exit logbooks
- Identities of the persons allowed to assist Romualdez inside the facility
- Records of ambulance use
– Rappler.com