Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla has denied allegations that former House Speaker Martin Romualdez has been secretly leaving the New Quezon City Jail, challenging members of the media to review three months’ worth of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and other jail records.
Remulla said the government has obtained the complete CCTV recordings covering the detention facility and invited journalists to examine the footage themselves to determine whether Romualdez received special treatment or was allowed to leave without authorization.
“Nasa amin na yung buong CCTV. Kaya nga iniinvite ko kayo lahat sumama sa amin para makita niyo kung gusto niyo ang three months, every day tingnan niyo ang buong CCTV ng BJMP. Hindi lang namin puwedeng i-release,” Remulla told reporters.
He stressed that the allegations were untrue, saying the media could also examine the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology’s (BJMP) records.
“Again, I would invite the entire media to serve as witness and to delouse all the records of the BJMP kung may special treatment o kung nakakalabas. Kasi ang pinapalabas nakakalabas [siya] ng BJMP, it is not true and I categorically deny it,” he said.
The allegations stemmed from a social media post by broadcaster Ramon Tulfo, who claimed that Romualdez was allegedly being transported out of the detention facility aboard an ambulance, with supposed power interruptions preventing CCTV cameras from recording his movements.
The BJMP earlier ordered an immediate investigation into the claims. Its initial CCTV verification reportedly found no recorded power or surveillance camera interruptions at the Quezon City Jail-Male Dormitory and no recorded movement by Romualdez outside the facility during the period examined.
The bureau reiterated that all persons deprived of liberty are subject to the same custodial rules and that any movement outside the jail requires a proper court order.
The controversy also prompted the Sandiganbayan Third Division to summon jail superintendent Maria Lourdes Pacion and medical officer Henry Fabro to appear before the court on November 5 to testify on Romualdez’s detention status. The court also directed the preservation of relevant CCTV recordings, logs and electronic records.
Romualdez was arrested in September in connection with a non-bailable P7.44-billion plunder case involving alleged kickbacks from flood control and other government infrastructure projects.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
