Martin’s transfer to QC jail deferred
The examination of the four doctors was suspended after more than two hours when state prosecutors sought additional time to prepare their questions.
The examination of the four doctors was suspended after more than two hours when state prosecutors sought additional time to prepare their questions.
The Sandiganbayan Third Division on Thursday allowed former House Speaker Martin Romualdez to remain at Cardinal Santos Medical Center, even as conflicting accounts from his doctors bolstered the public perception that rich and powerful politicians used illness to evade detention.
Antipolo Bishop Ruperto Santos expressed dismay over what he described as a recurring practice among government officials facing arrest.
“It is very saddening this old scene of a government official suddenly suffering from a medical condition and needing to be brought to the hospital when facing arrest,” he said.
“I don’t judge those who have real medical conditions. The sick should be treated and cared for. However, those using a medical condition to escape accountability is not a simple discussion on health. It is about integrity, justice and conscience,” he added.
The bishop’s comments came as the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court wrestled with the question of whether to allow Romualdez, who is facing a P7.4-billion plunder charge over alleged corruption in flood control projects, to remain in the hospital instead of being transferred to a regular detention facility.
Before hearing out his doctors, the Sandiganbayan issued a commitment order placing Romualdez in the custody of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and ordering his detention at the New Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory in Payatas.
Still, Romualdez will remain at Cardinal Santos for now as the court has yet to resolve his camp’s urgent motion seeking his continued hospital confinement. The hearing on the motion is set for Friday, 11 September.
Meanwhile, sources at Cardinal Santos maintained that Romualdez’s admission or his being transferred to a regular jail was a matter between him and his doctors on one side and the court on the other.
Doctors can’t agree
The conflicting testimonies of several doctors attending to Romualdez emerged during Thursday’s proceedings at the Sandiganbayan.
Dr. Kurt Allen Sibayan, the physician listed as having prepared Romualdez’s admitting order, told the court that he did not personally see the former speaker before he prepared the document.
Sibayan said the diagnosis listed in the medical abstract was provided by cardiologist Dr. Rody Sy whom he identified as the doctor who first attended to Romualdez.
He also testified that Romualdez was brought directly to his room at around 4 p.m. on Monday — rather than going through the emergency room — after he complained of chest pain. Sibayan described the admission as “unusual.”
‘Monitoring not treatment’
Adding to questions over whether normal hospital protocols were followed, Sibayan said Dr. Rosalio Torres had told him he was not allowed to enter Romualdez’s room.
Torres, however, gave a different account. Describing himself as the “overall coordinator” monitoring Romualdez’s medical condition, Torres said the former speaker’s camp contacted him between 9 and 10 a.m. on Monday after Romualdez suffered “chest discomfort.”
Citing findings from a previous checkup in July, Torres said he recommended that Romualdez be confined for further assessment.
Torres, a hematologist, said he assembled a team of doctors to conduct various tests on Romualdez, most of which came up within normal limits, although there were “concerns” over his cardiovascular and mental health.
Asked by Associate Justice Karl Miranda if Romualdez required medical treatment, Torres said he only needed “active monitoring.”
He also raised concern over the “time element” when Miranda broached the possibility of transferring Romualdez to another facility with similar equipment. He said there were signs that Romualdez could suffer a heart attack.
The Philippine National Police earlier posted a picture of its hospital, showing a room enclosed in bars that could take Romualdez in.
The private doctors disagreed on other crucial details, raising questions about why government doctors could not step in to verify the claims being made by the private practitioners in support of private hospital detention for the former House speaker.
Torres told the court that Sibayan was the first doctor to attend to Romualdez, contradicting Sibayan’s testimony that Sy had initially attended to the former Speaker.
Perjury?
Justice Moreno confronted Torres over the conflicting accounts during the hearing.
Torres said he arrived at Cardinal Santos only at about 9:30 p.m. Monday because he had attended a convention, despite Sibayan’s testimony that Torres had prevented him from entering Romualdez’s room.
Torres maintained that it was Sy’s recommendation that was followed in admitting Romualdez.
Likewise, Torres testified that one of the primary findings was unstable angina, which he described as an “impending heart attack.”
Justice Moreno, however, pointed out that a person could potentially suffer a heart attack at any given time, kicking off social media comments about whether perjury charges may be filed against the doctors.
The examination of the four doctors was suspended after more than two hours when state prosecutors sought additional time to prepare their questions.
While the court has formally transferred custody of Romualdez to the BJMP, he will remain at Cardinal Santos until the court rules on his request for continued hospital confinement.
Romualdez’s arraignment and pretrial are scheduled for 14 September.
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