Court to BJMP: Did you let Romualdez out?

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan’s Third Division on Wednesday summoned Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) officials over claims that a warden had allowed former House Speaker and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez to leave the Quezon City jail.

The antigraft court ordered Jail Supt. Maria Lourdes Pacion and medical officer Henry Fabro, both from the BJMP City Jail-Male Dormitory in Payatas, to appear before a hearing on Thursday, according to Third Division clerk of court Dennis Pulma.

The court wanted to check the current status of Romualdez, who is facing a plunder case stemming from P7.44-billion alleged kickbacks from infrastructure projects, “in light of the recent online news articles,” Pulma said.

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READ: Palace to jail authorities: Uphold law amid Romualdez ‘jailbreak’ row

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Far from truth

In a social media post on Tuesday, retired columnist Ramon Tulfo claimed that a jail warden had cut off the power supply at the jail facility, disabling closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and allowing Romualdez to exit through a backdoor stairs into a waiting ambulance. He cited his own sources.

BJMP spokesperson Jayrex Bustinera was quick to clarify that there was neither a recorded movement of Romualdez outside the facility, a power cutoff, nor a CCTV interruption during that period. Still, BJMP chief Efren Nemeño ordered an investigation.

The civil society group August Twenty-One Movement (Atom) described Tulfo’s claims as “alarming” as it called on Malacañang to take the lead in ordering an investigation.

READ: BJMP: No power outage or Romualdez exit from QC jail

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“This is alarming. Whether the information shared by a veteran media personality is true or not, about the former Speaker being able to get out of jail, there is only one way to find out the truth. We call on the authorities involved to investigate this serious matter,” Atom said in a statement.

“Mr. Marcos Jr., if you are truly committed to accountability, then hold your allies accountable—especially your cousin, Martin Romualdez. And he should not be allowed to post bail. Otherwise, we strongly believe that the responsibility for all of this lies with you,” it added.

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‘False information’

Malacañang press officer Claire Castro, for her part, reminded jail officials to always perform their duties in accordance with the law.

She also cautioned the public against spreading false information on Romualdez’s case. /cb