Romualdez's jail privileges? Sandiganbayan demands answers

National

DID former House speaker Martin Romualdez leave his jail cell without authorization?

The Sandiganbayan is seeking answers, ordering two Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) officials to testify today on his detention at the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas.

In a resolution, the anti-graft court directed jail warden Supt. Maria Lourdes Pacion and medical officer Henry Fabro to appear and explain Romualdez’s custodial status. It also ordered Pacion to “immediately preserve and safeguard” all relevant CCTV recordings, jail logs and electronic or digital records.

The order follows allegations by broadcaster Ramon Tulfo that Romualdez was allowed to leave the facility and return at his convenience.

Tulfo has since retracted his allegation, stating he was given incorrect information.

Malacañang denied the claims, citing initial CCTV checks that showed no record of the former lawmaker leaving the premises.

Palace press officer Claire Castro stressed that no detainee should receive preferential treatment regardless of position or personal connections.

“No person or group should be given special treatment over the ordinary person. Everyone must be treated equally – regardless of one’s position, personal relationships or color,” Castro said in a Philstar report.

Castro said BJMP director Efren Nemeño ordered an investigation on Nov. 3 into the alleged unauthorized trips.

Initial CCTV verification by the bureau showed no recorded movement by Romualdez outside the facility and no power or surveillance interruptions at the jail’s male dormitory during the period examined. The investigation remains ongoing.

The BJMP also maintained that all persons deprived of liberty are subject to the same custodial rules and that any movement outside detention requires a court order. The bureau pledged to cooperate with any investigation and consider relevant information from the public.

Castro urged those questioning the BJMP’s findings to visit its office and examine the available CCTV footage. She also accused those spreading what she described as false information of attempting to undermine the government and discredit agencies performing their mandates.

She added that Romualdez, considered one of the key figures being monitored in the multibillion-peso flood control controversy, was under heightened security protocols to ensure that the investigation into the scandal would uncover the truth.

Romualdez is detained while awaiting trial on a plunder charge, a non-bailable offense.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court rejected his petition challenging the Ombudsman’s preliminary investigation and denied his request for a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction to halt the proceedings.

In a briefer, the high court said the petition had become moot because the plunder charge had already been filed before the Sandiganbayan, where Romualdez was arraigned and pleaded not guilty. It also found no exceptional circumstances warranting a ruling on the petition despite its having become moot.(MyTVCebu)