Sources from the camp of Leyte First District representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez disclosed that the former House Speaker’s legal counsels are already preparing to submit a petition for bail before the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division any day next week.
The first cousin of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. has been detained at the Quezon City Jail in Payatas over plunder charges anchored on the alleged ₱7.4-billion kickback scheme in government projects.
Although the lawmaker’s legal team had previously said it will proceed with lodging a bail petition, the clerk-of-court of the anti-graft court’s third division, Atty. Dennis Pulma, noted that they still have to receive Romualdez’s petition.
Pulma added that the court granted the respondent’s manifestation with motion for him to attend the pre-trial through videoconference.
The president’s cousin, who attended his arraignment via teleconference, earlier entered a not guilty plea.
He was taken into lawful custody at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City, where his warrant of arrest was presented to him by a court officer.
Romualdez had been admitted to the hospital due to several illnesses including hypertension and diabetes.
The Sandiganbayan then ordered his transfer to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) for an independent medical examination and afterwards was again transferred to the infirmary of the Quezon City Jail following PGH medical director Gerardo Legaspi’s testimony that he is “clinically stable” and does not need hospital confinement.
