Romualdez, in wheelchair, pleads not guilty in plunder case

MANILA, Philippines — Former Speaker Martin Romualdez appeared before the Sandiganbayan via videoconference and pleaded not guilty to charges of plunder at his arraignment on Wednesday.

During the proceedings, the court also asked him to explain in 10 days why he should not be placed under preventive suspension as Leyte congressman, in compliance with the plunder law.

The court also denied for lack of merit his request to be transferred to Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) or to another tertiary government hospital in Quezon City.

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READ: Palace: No special treatment for Romualdez in jail

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For the arraignment, Romualdez faced the court via video feed from a space set up at New Quezon City Jail. Joined by lead counsel Jose Roy III, he appeared onscreen in a wheelchair and wearing a black jacket over a yellow shirt for detainees.

The court earlier granted Romualdez’s request to be allowed to attend his arraignment and pretrial, scheduled for Sept. 25, via videoconference.

“Videoconferencing is the preferred mode in cases involving PDLs (persons deprived of liberty),” said Associate Justice Karl Miranda, chair of the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division.

Reading of charges

Miranda, however, denied a motion by the accused to do away with the formal reading of the charges, saying the proceedings were public in nature. The rejected motion pointed out that Romualdez had already read the charges many times and repeating them in court would no longer be necessary.

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“The reading [of the information] is long and it can add additional stress. But of course, since we respect the processes of the court we agreed to (the reading) eventually,” Ade Fajardo, another defense lawyer, told reporters after the arraignment.

According to the charges, Romualdez allegedly amassed P7.44 billion in ill-gotten wealth from September 2022 to March 2025 by taking advantage of his position as Speaker and Leyte congressman.

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He is accused of “repeatedly receiving, directly or indirectly, on at least fifteen (15) occasions, commissions, shares, percentages. kickbacks, ‘commitments’ and/or other pecuniary benefits” from contractors and other parties involved in flood control or infrastructure projects.

The money was said to have been delivered to his properties in Makati City and Manila, and received by his personal assistants, drivers or security personnel.

Bail petition eyed

Also during the arraignment, another defense lawyer, Rachel Ann Pomoy, told the court that Romualdez intended to file a petition for bail.

Fajardo said that as the court weighs the petition, the prosecution may have to “present evidence to show that the continued detention is necessary.”

Fajardo said the defense is also considering asking the court to excuse Romualdez from attending future proceedings.

In denying Romualdez’s request to be moved to VMMC, Miranda, the presiding justice, said: “We would like to also emphasize that the mere invocation of ill health is not sufficient for the accused’s continued confinement in a hospital. Let me make this clear: imprisonment must be shown to imperil the accused’s health.”

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Miranda recalled that based on an earlier testimony from Philippine General Hospital Director Gerardo Legaspi, the accused was already in stable condition and no longer required hospitalization. /cb