Palace wants probe into Romualdez’s 24/7 QC jail aide

MANILA, Philippines —  Malacañang on Friday called for a deeper investigation into why former Speaker Martin Romualdez was allowed to have a personal staff member to assist him inside the city jail.

New Quezon City Jail Superintendent Maria Lourdes Pacion told the Sandiganbayan Third Division that Romualdez had a 24/7 assistant based on “humanitarian grounds,” adding that his mental state was “not yet stable” and that he needed someone to assist him.

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

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At a briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said such treatment, if proven, would constitute “extravagance,” should not be allowed.

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She said, “Ayaw ko kasi mag-speculate dahil hindi po natin batid kung ano ang pinagmulan, hindi din natin alam kung ano ba ang kondisyon ng kalusugan ni former Speaker Martin Romualdez kung bakit may kailangan siya na dapat nakatutok sa kaniya 24/7.”

(I don’t want to speculate because we don’t know where this arrangement originated. We also don’t know the state of former Speaker Martin Romualdez’s health that would require someone to assist him 24/7.)

READ: Sandiganbayan calls out Martin Romualdez lawyers over media remarks

“So, sa ngayon kailangan pong mas malalim na pag-iimbestiga bakit kailangan na may 24/7 na naka-assign na special aide si former Speaker Martin Romualde,” Castro also said.

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(So, for now, a deeper investigation is needed into why former Speaker Martin Romualdez needs a special aide assigned to him 24/7.)

Meanwhile, Castro commended retired columnist Ramon Tulfo for admitting that he had spread false information about Romualdez’s supposed jailbreak.

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In a social media post earlier this week, Tulfo alleged that a jail warden had cut off the power supply, disabling CCTV cameras and allowing the presidential cousin to leave the New Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory.

Days later, he admitted that he had been fed incorrect information and had accepted it as gospel truth.

“One of the most embarrassing and humiliating experiences as a journalist is to admit that nakuryente ako,” Tulfo said in a post on Thursday.

“Worse, I passed it on to my readers. Embarrassing and humiliating because my readers trust me and took me on my word,” he also said.

He also said, “No such thing happened when the facts started coming in yesterday. It was fiction. I goofed. No excuses. I should have first checked and cross-checked that report I received on Romualdez.”

In Philippine newsroom slang, “nakuryente” means a journalist was misled by false information and published or passed it on without verifying it.

Castro said Tulfo’s admission was commendable and should serve as an example to others.

“Sa ipinakitang gesture ni Mr. Ramon Tulfo masasabi nating napaka-professional niya dahil ito namang ibinahagi niya ay hindi naman din nanggaling sa kaniya, nagkataon na siya lang iyong nag-release pero mayroon siyang ‘tweety bird’ mayroong siyang ‘bubwit’ mayroon siyang tagakuwento,” she said.

(Based on Mr. Ramon Tulfo’s gesture, we can say that he is very professional because the information he shared did not actually originate from him. He just happened to be the one who released it, but he had a ‘Tweety Bird,’ a ‘mouse,’ or someone who relayed the information to him.)

She said Tulfo’s gesture was “very professional” and expressed hope that those who are also misled and spread fake news about the government and leaders would admit when they are wrong. 

“Minsan kasi sila pa iyong matapang kapag pinupunan mo na mali. So, sana maging modelo si Mr. Ramon Tulfo ng iba pa na sanay na sanay mag-fake news,” Castro said.

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(Sometimes, they are even the ones who act boldly when you point out their mistakes. So, I hope Mr. Ramon Tulfo can serve as a model for others who are accustomed to spreading fake news.) /mr