Court allows Romualdez remote hearings
COURT from a distance Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez may sign his pretrial order in jail and attend court hearings online, subject to a written waiver, the anti-graft court has ruled.
Photograph courtesy of Sandiganbayan
The Sandiganbayan Third Division has allowed former House Speaker Martin Romualdez to sign the court’s pre-trial order while detained at the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas, Quezon City.
“The Sandiganbayan Third Division had granted accused Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez’s motion to sign the Pre-trial Order at BJMP Payatas, Q.C. on October 12, 2026,” Third Division Clerk of Court Dennis Pulma said Saturday.
The court also granted Romualdez’s request to attend hearings remotely via videoconference, subject to the submission of a written waiver.
The 9 October resolution requires Romualdez to submit an informed written waiver under the amended guidelines on videoconferencing, issued through Administrative Matter 24-11-02-SC on 4 November 2025.
The resolution also requires the waiver to comply with the conditions under Section 34 of the guidelines.
Romualdez, former Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co and two other individuals face plunder charges over allegations that they received more than P7 billion in kickbacks from government projects between 2022 and 2025.