Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez’s lawyers will file a petition for the lawmaker’s temporary release before the Sandiganbayan Third Division following his arraignment, according to a Wednesday report.

Atty. Ade Fajardo, Romualdez’s legal counsel, said the Leyte congressman stands firm on his innocence, reported RH 5 Val Gonzales.

Fajardo said they are prepared to present evidence proving continual detention to be unnecessary, to prompt the prosecution to lay down their counterarguments.

“As everybody heard, we are filing a petition for bail so that the prosecution can be sent evidence to show that the continued detention is unnecessary. Because siyempre, alam natin, na kung ang evidence of guilt is strong, the Sandiganbayan can deny the petition for bail,” he told reporters during an interview.

“That’s why we are proceeding to a petition for bail so that the prosecution can finally present to the court what their evidence is,” he added.

During the arraignment earlier today, two of Romualdez’s motions were dismissed by the anti-graft court. He requested to waive the reading of the case information and to be brought to a government hospital in Quezon City, like the Veterans Memorial Medical Center.