Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. Photo courtesy of PNP.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Tuesday that former House Speaker Martin Romualdez was not given preferential treatment during his arrest, hospitalization and transfer to jail, insisting that authorities only followed court directives and medical advice.
Remulla said the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology acted based on the commitment orders issued by the Sandiganbayan and the findings of doctors from the Philippine General Hospital.
He added that Romualdez has a genuine medical condition, but PGH doctors had determined that he could remain in BJMP custody as long as he continued receiving medical supervision.
Romualdez was arrested on Sept. 7 while confined at Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City.
He was later moved to PGH for further evaluation before doctors informed the Sandiganbayan that continued hospital admission was no longer necessary.
Following that assessment, Romualdez was transferred to the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas, where he is currently being kept in the infirmary.
Remulla said the sequence of events reflected compliance with medical and judicial instructions rather than any attempt to give Romualdez special accommodation.
The former House Speaker is facing a plunder case over allegations that he received more than P7 billion in kickbacks from government projects from 2022 to 2025. The charges remain pending before the Sandiganbayan.
