Palace: No special treatment for Romualdez in jail

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Tuesday maintained that there should be no special treatment for former Speaker Martin Romualdez following his transfer to the New Quezon City Jail in Barangay Payatas.

Romualdez was transferred from the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) on Monday evening pursuant to an order from the Sandiganbayan Third Division. He had been confined at the state-run hospital over the weekend.

READ: Romualdez now behind bars

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The order came after PGH specialists determined that Romualdez was medically stable and could be discharged at any time, following an examination by a dozen specialists at the hospital.

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He is facing a nonbailable plunder case involving an alleged P7.44 billion kickback scheme tied to government flood control projects. Former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co and two other private individuals are also accused.

According to Palace press officer Claire Castro, Romualdez and the other accused remain presumed innocent because no court has issued a final judgment against them.

“Whatever those allegedly involved are going through now, no one should be spared or treated differently — whether they are rich or poor, ordinary citizens or people in positions of power. If they have done something wrong against the people, they should be treated equally and experience the same process as other accused individuals,” she said at a briefing.

“So, there should be no special treatment. There is no need to hold rallies here and there to prevent anyone from being held accountable. Everyone should be treated equally,” the Palace official continued.

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READ: LOOK: DILG releases mugshot of hospitalized Romualdez

Castro also said it was up to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology to decide whether to release additional photos of Romualdez inside the jail facility, including its infirmary, amid calls for greater transparency.

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Additionally, Castro said she had yet to speak with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. about his personal reaction to Romualdez’s transfer to the city jail.

There was also no direct explanation from the Palace as to why Marcos canceled his planned visit to PGH on Monday morning, when Romualdez was still confined there. The Presidential Communications Office also did not provide details about the president’s planned visit.

“As you know, the President arrived at almost 5 a.m. We were not informed of what time he was supposed to go to PGH, if he was indeed going there, because he had just returned from India after completing his work and arrived at around 5 a.m.,” Castro said.

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“Aside from that, he also had an event related to his ‘Handog ng Pangulo.’ So, whatever the reason may have been, nothing was mentioned to us, most probably because of his schedule,” she also said. /das