THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) has implemented a Sandiganbayan hold departure order (HDO) against former Speaker and incumbent Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and three co-accused in a P7.44-billion plunder case linked to alleged kickbacks from government projects.
Mr. Romualdez and co-accused Felicito C. Guevarra remain in the Philippines, while fugitive former Party-list Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” S. Co and Joselyn T. Serenio had already left the country before the HDO was issued, the agency said in a statement on Thursday.
The Sandiganbayan Third Division issued the hold order against the four on Sept. 7, along with warrants for their arrest, after the Office of the Ombudsman filed plunder charges over alleged kickbacks from flood control, infrastructure and other government projects.
The Ombudsman alleged that the accused received at least P7.44 billion in commissions, shares, percentages, kickbacks and other financial benefits linked to government projects funded under the 2022 to 2025 national budgets.
Mr. Romualdez was arrested hours after the anti-graft court issued the warrant while he was confined at Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City.
He was transferred to the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas on Monday after doctors at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) found him clinically stable and no longer in need of hospital confinement.
Mr. Romualdez pleaded not guilty to the plunder charge on Wednesday during an arraignment conducted through videoconferencing before the Sandiganbayan. He attended the proceedings from the jail premises.
His lawyers have said they would seek bail while the case is pending. Plunder is ordinarily nonbailable when the evidence of guilt is strong. The court will determine the strength of the prosecution’s evidence during bail proceedings.
Republic Act No. 7080 or the Anti-Plunder Act also provides for the preventive suspension of a public officer facing prosecution under the law. The anti-graft court gave Mr. Romualdez 10 days to explain why he should not be preventively suspended.
Mr. Co and Ms. Serenio were already abroad when the HDO was issued. The BI said it could not disclose their specific travel details or other personal information, citing the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and other applicable laws.
“The BI will continue to strictly enforce the HDO and undertake appropriate immigration measures within its mandate,” the bureau said.
Mr. Romualdez has been placed in the infirmary ward of the Quezon City Jail in Payatas with three other inmates and remains under medical supervision, Interior Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” C. Remulla said on Tuesday.
Mr. Romualdez was received by the Quezon City Jail at 10:49 p.m. on Monday and underwent standard booking procedures, including mugshot-taking, fingerprinting, interviews and basic orientation, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) spokesperson Jail Superintendent Jayrex Joseph C. Bustinera said.
He was then brought to the infirmary ward, where three other inmates were already staying. After the booking procedures, he was brought to his assigned cell.
The placement was based on evaluations by Mr. Romualdez’s doctors and independent BJMP doctors, as well as an order from the Sandiganbayan.
Mr. Remulla said PGH doctors found Mr. Romualdez fit to remain in jail but required continued medical supervision.
Mr. Romualdez has high blood pressure and diabetes, while doctors also found evidence of previous cerebrovascular incidents that require monitoring, Mr. Remulla said.
He has been advised to undergo an electrocardiogram once a week and use a continuous positive airway pressure machine, although he has declined to use it. A hospital bed has also been provided in case of an emergency, Mr. Remulla added.
Routine monitoring will be conducted by BJMP doctors, who may consult Mr. Romualdez’s personal doctors or PGH physicians if medical concerns arise, he added.
His personal doctors may visit him from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, except Mondays. He does not have a permanent personal nurse or doctor staying with him, Mr. Remulla said.
The infirmary is about 50 square meters and has hospital beds, a common bathroom and large exhaust fans, but no air-conditioning, he said.
Mr. Romualdez’s doctors also recommended 30 minutes of exercise daily, including walking and exposure to sunlight, which he may do, Mr. Remulla said. — Mark Joseph M. Sanchez