Palace: Give Romualdez doctors benefit of doubt

Malacañang on Wednesday urged critics to give the doctors treating former House Speaker Martin Romualdez the benefit of the doubt as he remained confined at Cardinal Santos Medical Center following his arrest on plunder charges.

Palace press officer Claire Castro said authorities could not immediately transfer Romualdez to a regular detention facility after doctors certified that his condition required continued hospitalization.

“Hindi mawawala ang kritisismo. Pero hindi natin mapipigil ang mga doctor kung ano ang nakikita nilang health condition ng isang akusado. Hindi rin naman mapipilit ng PNP o ng pamunuan ng DILG na dalhin agad ang isang akusado na nasertipikahan na hindi pa nararapat i-remove from the hospital,” Castro said during a briefing.

Romualdez was served his arrest warrant Monday while confined at the San Juan City hospital.

According to his medical report, Romualdez suffered unstable blood pressure and an anxiety or panic attack. He was diagnosed with hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease and unstable angina.

The report also cited a previous angioplasty procedure. Magnetic resonance imaging scans reportedly showed previous strokes, mild chronic blood vessel disease and early plaque buildup in brain arteries.

Castro said Romualdez’s doctors must remain transparent and truthful about his condition.

“We cannot say anything dahil nasa pagtingin po iyan ng mga doctor. Ang doktor naman, dapat nagsasabi ng katotohanan. So, we will just give them the benefit of the doubt. But still, we saw what the DILG and PNP officials did. Kung nasa ospital man yan ay hindi naman siguro yan makakatakas,” she said.

Romualdez’s hospital confinement drew criticism and ridicule on social media, with users comparing it to previous cases involving officials who were hospitalized after facing arrest.

The Office of the Ombudsman has said prosecutors will oppose Romualdez’s motion for continued hospital confinement and ask a team of government doctors to independently assess whether his illnesses require hospitalization.