Ombudsman opposing Romualdez hospital stay

READY FOR OCCUPANCY The Philippine National Police allows a peek into the room at the PNP General Hospital where Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez would be kept under custody in case the Sandiganbayan orders his transfer from a private hospital to Camp Crame. It has a standard hospital bed, an oxygen tank, a plastic cabinet, and a window-type air conditioning unit—withmetal bars at the entrance. —PNP photo MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman will oppose the motion of former Speaker Martin Romualdez for extended hospital confinement following his arrest and plans to ask government doctors to assess whether his declared illnesses could be managed outside the hospital. “The prosecutors will strongly oppose the motion. In fact, the prosecutors will ask that not just one doctor but a team of government doctors assess whether or not the illnesses declared need confinement or can be managed outside of the hospital,” Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said in a statement on Wednesday. Romualdez on Monday filed a nine-page manifestation before the Sandiganbayan Third Division, which ordered his arrest on plunder charges, for continued hospital confinement “for so long as inpatient confinement remains medically necessary, certified by his attending physical, until he is medically cleared for transfer.” Article continues after this advertisement READ: Martin Romualdez arrested in hospital for plunder The court has set a hearing tomorrow, Sept. 10, to determine whether the Leyte congressman should remain under hospital arrest. It has also directed him to appear in court. Clavano said if Romualdez’s illnesses could be managed outside the hospital, the prosecutors would move for his transfer to a regular detention facility, including the other co-accused in the charges. The Philippine National Police earlier said it would file a motion for Romualdez’s transfer to the PNP General Hospital in Camp Crame, Quezon City, where a room has been prepared for him. Photos shared by the PNP Public Information Office on Wednesday showed a room with a standard hospital bed with sheets bearing the logo of the PNP Health Service; an oxygen tank; a plastic cabinet and a window-type air conditioner. The room, measuring 3.50 by 3.10 meters in size with a height of 2.70 meters, had metal bars affixed to its entrance. Article continues after this advertisement ‘Third party’ assessment On Monday, the Sandiganbayan issued the arrest warrant for plunder against Romualdez, former lawmaker Zaldy Co, and two others over allegations that they received more than P7 billion in kickbacks from government projects between 2022 and 2025. Romualdez was arrested at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City, where he remains confined. Article continues after this advertisement Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Monday said that according to the former Speaker’s doctors, he suffered from a cardiovascular event, and was having an anxiety attack and unstable blood pressure. In Malacañang, Palace press officer Claire Castro said it would be up to doctors and health experts to determine whether Romualdez should remain in the hospital or be transferred to a regular jail. Castro said the administration would not interfere with doctors’ assessment, saying only they could provide an accurate evaluation of his health condition. But she added that it would be more prudent if third-party health experts would diagnose Romualdez, President Marcos’ first cousin, to give “neutral findings.” “We will just give them the benefit of the doubt. It is the doctors who will tell that an accused is sickly and not fit to be detained in a regular jail,” she said. Malacañang also defended the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) against accusations of giving Romualdez special treatment by allowing him to stay at a private hospital despite being served an arrest warrant. According to Castro, neither the DILG nor the PNP could force an accused out of a hospital if doctors had certified that the person was not fit to be removed. Asked about the President’s reaction to Romualdez’s arrest, Castro said this was no longer important. “What is important is that our justice system is working. If he needs to be held accountable, if there is a reason for it, that will be determined in court,” Castro said. She also maintained that Romualdez’s arrest was not the President throwing him “under the bus” to satisfy growing public frustration over the administration’s failure to put in jail the “big fishes” allegedly involved the flood control scandal. She said the government was not targeting Romualdez but was acting on evidence uncovered by the Office of the Ombudsman. According to Castro, Marcos was taking a neutral position on the case and that the process should be left to the courts. Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful. “The President is neutral. What is important is there is due process, the law is followed, and there should be no fabricated evidence,” she said. —With a report from Dexter Cabalza