By Mark Joseph M. Sanchez
FORMER SPEAKER and incumbent Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez has been placed in the infirmary ward of the Quezon City Jail in Payatas with three other inmates and remains under medical supervision, Interior Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” C. Remulla said on Tuesday.
“We are following the recommendations of the Sandiganbayan and the PGH (Philippine General Hospital), which we had nothing to do with,” Mr. Remulla told a press briefing in Filipino.
Mr. Romualdez was received by the Quezon City Jail at 10:49 p.m. on Monday and underwent standard booking procedures, including mugshot-taking, fingerprinting, interviews and basic orientation, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) spokesperson Jail Superintendent Jayrex Joseph C. Bustinera said.
He was then brought to the infirmary ward, where three other inmates were already staying.
“After these booking procedures, he was brought to his assigned cell,” Mr. Bustinera told the same briefing in Filipino. “This is an infirmary ward. He has companions there. He is the fourth one.”
Mr. Bustinera said the placement was based on evaluations by Mr. Romualdez’s doctors and independent BJMP doctors, as well as an order from the Sandiganbayan.
“We can see from the recommendations that he no longer needs to be confined further in the hospital,” he added.
Mr. Remulla said PGH doctors found Mr. Romualdez fit to remain in jail but required continued medical supervision.
Mr. Romualdez has high blood pressure and diabetes, while doctors also found evidence of previous cerebrovascular incidents that require monitoring, Mr. Remulla said.
He has been advised to undergo an electrocardiogram once a week and use a continuous positive airway pressure machine, although he has declined to use it. A hospital bed has also been provided in case of an emergency, Mr. Remulla added.
Routine monitoring will be conducted by BJMP doctors, who may consult Mr. Romualdez’s personal doctors or PGH physicians if medical concerns arise, he added.
His personal doctors may visit him from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, except Mondays. He does not have a permanent personal nurse or doctor staying with him, Mr. Remulla said.
The infirmary is about 50 square meters and has hospital beds, a common bathroom and large exhaust fans, but no air-conditioning, he said.
Mr. Romualdez’s doctors also recommended 30 minutes of exercise daily, including walking and exposure to sunlight, which he may do, Mr. Remulla said.
PGH doctors will determine when Mr. Romualdez can be transferred from the infirmary to a regular jail cell, he added.
Mr. Remulla said the jail authorities were not giving Mr. Romualdez special treatment and were following the recommendations of the Sandiganbayan and PGH.
“Nothing more and nothing less,” he said when asked about concerns over possible special treatment.
Mr. Remulla said Mr. Romualdez was “really sick” based on the doctors’ findings, but stressed that the assessment was not his own medical opinion.
“I’m not qualified to give a medical opinion. But from what the doctors in PGH said, he is fit to be confined to serve his sentence there in BJMP. But he needs medical supervision,” Mr. Remulla said.
Mr. Bustinera said the BJMP had received no incident or negative report involving Mr. Romualdez since his detention.
“So far, the BJMP has not received any report of an incident or any negative report since former Representative Romualdez was detained, and we presume the situation is normal as of today,” he said.
Mr. Romualdez was arrested on Sept. 7 while confined at Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City after the Sandiganbayan issued a warrant in connection with a P7.44-billion nonbailable plunder case linked to kickbacks from flood control projects.
He has denied wrongdoing and said he will face the charges in court.
