BJMP denies ex-Speaker’s special treatment in jail

Malacañang and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) on Wednesday debunked social media claims that former House Speaker Martin Romualdez has been secretly leaving his detention cell at the Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory in Payatas.

The denial follows accusations published online by columnist Ramon Tulfo, who alleged that Jail Superintendent Maria Lourdes Pacion repeatedly cut power to the facility to disable security cameras while the Leyte representative exited aboard a waiting ambulance.

Tulfo suggested the alleged trips were linked to Romualdez’s family ties to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., though he provided no physical evidence.

During a Palace press briefing, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro read an official statement from BJMP director Efren Nemeño, confirming that an immediate internal investigation was launched Tuesday.

“Initial CCTV verification by BJMP National Headquarters shows no recorded power or CCTV interruption at the Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory and no recorded movement of Representative Martin Romualdez outside the facility during the period examined,” Castro said, reading the bureau’s findings.

Castro stressed that all persons deprived of liberty are subject to uniform custodial rules and that any movement outside a detention facility requires an explicit court order.

“What is the intention, what is the motive?” Castro said, addressing the rumors.

“The motive here is to ruin the government, to ruin the agencies performing their duties. Speaker Romualdez is considered one of the big fish being monitored so we can learn the truth. But as we say, having a pending case does not mean someone is already guilty. That depends on their defense,” she added.

Despite the BJMP’s initial findings, the Sandiganbayan Third Division issued summons Wednesday to Pacion and facility medical officer Henry Fabro, ordering them to testify on 5 November, regarding Romualdez’s current status and detention conditions.