Jonvic seeks Martin transfer to Crame
‘The PNP doctors and the former speaker’s doctors spoke and agreed that his condition is unstable.’
Text size
‘The PNP doctors and the former speaker’s doctors spoke and agreed that his condition is unstable.’
The government will ask the Sandiganbayan to order the transfer of former House Speaker and incumbent Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez from Cardinal Santos Medical Center to the Philippine National Police General Hospital, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Tuesday.
“We will file a motion for custody of Martin Romualdez so he can be brought to the PNP hospital in Camp Crame. That will be our initial step once he is under our formal custody. His doctors will be allowed visitation and practice rights so they can continue to attend to him,” Remulla said in an early morning press briefing at Camp Crame.
Remulla said the motion would be filed on Tuesday or Wednesday, adding that the government would not agree to keep Romualdez at Cardinal Santos in San Juan City.
“We can manage his care at Crame, but it will be up to the court to allow his transfer,” he said.
In the meantime, PNP doctors will coordinate with Romualdez’s physicians and regularly visit him to assess whether he is fit to be transferred and to appear before the anti-graft court.
“The PNP doctors and the former speaker’s doctors spoke and agreed that his condition is unstable. However, PNP doctors will visit him every day to monitor his condition. As soon as he is fit and able to appear in court, we will bring him here,” Remulla said.
The DILG chief said the Cardinal Santos doctors informed him that Romualdez had suffered a stroke in July.
“It was a transient ischemic attack. It wasn’t that serious. From what I saw, he has no apparent deficiency, but he suffered a cerebrovascular event last July,” Remulla said.
Flight risk
Romualdez is under heavy guard, with two armed police officers stationed outside his hospital room around the clock.
“His movements are restricted within the hospital and only to areas where he needs to go. We have armed guards in the lobby and a patrol car outside the hospital,” Remulla said. He described Romualdez as a flight risk.
“Martin Romualdez is a flight risk. He has two private jets, three helicopters, and three yachts, so he is a flight risk. We will do everything ahead of time as a preventive measure,” Remulla said.
Warrant properly served
PNP chief Police Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. said police followed proper legal procedures in serving the arrest warrant on Romualdez at Cardinal Santos on 7 September.
“The Philippine National Police followed the proper and lawful implementation of the warrant of arrest. Our personnel followed established protocols while ensuring that the rights and safety of the accused were respected,” Nartatez said.
Remulla and Nartatez also showed video footage of Romualdez being served the warrant, the booking procedure, including the reading of his Miranda rights, as he was charged with plunder.
