Romualdez to be transferred to PNP hospital; no executive suite, says police

MANILA, Philippines — Former House Speaker and incumbent Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez will not be confined in an executive suite if he is transferred to the Philippine National Police General Hospital (PNPGH) in Camp Crame, police officials said. “May room nang naka-ready sa kanya,” PNP public information chief Col. Allen Rae Co explained in a press briefing in Camp Crame. (There is a room waiting for him already.) “Wala ditong executive suite. Rooms are rooms. Ordinary rooms,” he stressed. (There is no executive suite here. Rooms are rooms. Ordinary rooms.) READ: DILG chief: ‘We won’t allow’ Romualdez to stay at private hospital Romualdez was arrested on plunder charges on Monday night while confined at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City for various purported ailments. On Tuesday, however, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the PNP will ask the Sandiganbayan to transfer Romualdez to the PNPGH to show that the former speaker is not receiving special treatment. “Our doctors have been coordinating with the doctors of Cardinal Santos for practicing rights so we can assess him independently,” Co said. “And then, they will confer for us to be able to assess if the former Speaker will be physically fit to face the Sandiganbayan,” he added. Romualdez has since requested the Sandiganbayan to allow his continued hospital confinement. But earlier on Wednesday, the Office of the Ombudsman opposed the motion while asking that another team of government doctors assess whether he needed to be confined. “We welcome them to erase any doubts or suspicions of special treatment,” Co said. “The more, the merrier. We very much welcome additional doctors to assess the situation or the health status of our former speaker,” he added. Romualdez is charged in connection with over P7 billion in alleged kickbacks in various government projects from 2022 to 2025. /gsg