Palace keeps hands off Romualdez case

Malacañang has refused to intervene in the legal proceedings against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, saying the courts must determine his case based on evidence and the law despite his being a cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the administration would leave decisions on Romualdez’s custody and medical condition to the courts, law enforcement authorities and his doctors.

“Sa ngayon walang pinag-uusapan tungkol sa hospital arrest, depende na po kasi iyan kung ano po ang magiging findings ng doktor (For now, there is no discussion about hospital arrest. It will depend on the doctor’s findings),” Castro said during a Palace briefing last week.

Her statement came after Romualdez’s camp sought continued hospital confinement following his arrest on a Sandiganbayan warrant.

Castro rejected suggestions that Romualdez was receiving special treatment, saying authorities acted on the warrant while allowing doctors to determine whether the former House leader is medically fit to be transferred from the hospital.

“Hindi naman din maipipilit ng (Philippine National Police) o ng pamunuan ng (Department of the Interior and Local Government) na dalhin agad ang isang akusado na nasertipikahan na hindi pa nararapat na tanggalin or i-remove from the hospital (The PNP or DILG leadership cannot force an accused to be brought out immediately from the hospital when doctors have certified that he is not yet fit to be removed or transferred from the hospital),” she said.

Castro said the Palace would give Romualdez’s doctors the “benefit of the doubt” in determining his medical condition.

She also said she had no information indicating that Marcos had spoken with or planned to visit his cousin following the arrest.

Asked about the President’s personal feelings toward Romualdez’s arrest, Castro said the issue should instead focus on accountability and the judicial process.

“Ang kailangan lang po dito ay dapat mapanagot ang dapat na mapanagot. Hindi na po siguro makakaapekto kung anuman ang damdamin ng Pangulo – masaya, malungkot, anuman – hindi na po siya importante (What is needed here is for those who should be held accountable, be held accountable. Whatever the President’s feelings may be – whether happy, sad, or anything else – are no longer important),” Castro said.

She likewise rejected claims that the administration had “nilaglag” or abandoned Romualdez following his arrest.

“Okay, hindi ko gusto iyong word na ‘nilaglag’… Dahil ito naman po, according to the Office of the Ombudsman, mayroon silang nakitang ebidensiya. So, walang dapat nilalaglag dito; kung ano lang iyong ebidensiya na nandidiyan, iyon lang – doon lang tayo bumase (Okay, I do not like the word ‘abandoned.’ According to the Office of the Ombudsman, they found evidence. So, no one is being abandoned here. We should base this only on whatever evidence is there),” she said.

Romualdez was arrested Monday evening on a Sandiganbayan warrant following plunder charges filed by the Office of the Ombudsman against him, former Ako-Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co and two others.

The charges stem from alleged misuse of ₱7.4 billion in government funds.

The Ombudsman said it would oppose Romualdez’s request for continued hospital confinement and seek an assessment by government doctors on whether his medical condition can be managed outside the hospital.

The case places the administration under scrutiny as it seeks to demonstrate that the judicial process will proceed independently despite the accused’s family relationship with the President.