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

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday reminded authorities to uphold their duties and refrain from violating the law following allegations that former House Speaker Martin Romualdez was allowed to leave jail with the help of a jail warden.

Retired columnist Ramon 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.

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

Article continues after this advertisement

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) earlier told the Inquirer that the claims were untrue, saying no power outage or CCTV interruption, nor any movement involving Romualdez, had been recorded.

FEATURED STORIES

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

Still, Palace press officer Claire Castro reminded authorities to always perform their duties in accordance with the law.

“Ang kanilang kredibilidad mismo kayo na po ang makakapagcheck, BJMP at the Quezon City Jail Payatas. So unang-una, ang mensahe po natin, ‘wag din po kayong lalabag sa inyong tungkulin,” she said at a briefing.

(You can check the credibility of the BJMP and the Quezon City Jail in Payatas yourselves. So, first and foremost, our message is: do not violate your duties.)

Castro also reiterated the BJMP’s statement denying Tulfo’s allegations, stressing that all persons deprived of liberty are subject to the same custodial rules and that any movement outside the jail requires a proper court order.

Article continues after this advertisement

The Palace official also criticized those spreading false information to tarnish the government’s reputation.

“Sa mga maaaring nagpapakalat ng maling impormasyon, ano po ba ang inyong nais? Anong motibo? Ang motibo dito ay sirain ang gobyerno, sirain ang mga ahensyang tumutupad sa kanilang tungkulin,” Castro said.

Article continues after this advertisement

(To those who may be spreading false information, what is it that you want? What is your motive? The motive here is to undermine the government and the agencies that are carrying out their duties.)

In a message to the Inquirer, BJMP spokesperson Jayrex Bustinera said the bureau takes allegations of irregularities in Romualdez’s custody seriously and that an investigation was underway.

“Initial CCTV verification by BJMP National Headquarters showed no recorded power or CCTV interruption at the Quezon City Jail–Male Dormitory, and no recorded movement of Rep. Martin Romualdez outside the facility during the period examined,” he said.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.

When asked what period the BJMP examined through the CCTV footage, Bustinera said it covered “since his (Romualdez) last hearing when he was moved outside from his cell to the courtroom.” /mr