MANILA, Philippines — The medical battle over the hospital confinement of former House Speaker and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez intensified Thursday after one of his attending physicians warned the Sandiganbayan that transferring him to another medical facility could carry serious risks.
Dr. Rosalio Torres, one of the doctors treating Romualdez at Cardinal Santos Medical Center, told the Sandiganbayan Third Division that the lawmaker remains at high risk of a possible heart attack because of his underlying coronary disease and unstable angina.
Torres said Romualdez should remain at Cardinal Santos because the hospital is equipped to respond quickly should his condition suddenly deteriorate.
In testimony cited by GMA News, Torres said that in an emergency, Romualdez could require immediate treatment and that transferring him elsewhere could create a potentially dangerous delay in medical intervention.
The doctor identified unstable angina with underlying coronary disease as the primary reason for continued hospital confinement, describing the condition as potentially preceding a heart attack.
‘NOT AN EMERGENCY’—ANOTHER DOCTOR TESTIFIES
But the hearing also produced a significant contradiction.
Dr. Kurt Allen Sibayan, the admitting physician at Cardinal Santos, testified that Romualdez’s condition at the time of admission was not considered an emergency case.
Sibayan said Romualdez arrived at the hospital at around 4 p.m. on September 7 complaining of chest pain. However, the doctor said he was not permitted to personally examine Romualdez after being instructed by the patient’s attending physicians not to enter his room.
When asked whether the arrangement was unusual, Sibayan answered yes.
He also testified that Romualdez went directly to a hospital room instead of passing through the emergency department.
Despite saying the case was not an emergency, Sibayan acknowledged that Romualdez remained at high risk of a possible heart attack.
ABS-CBN News likewise reported that the doctors described Romualdez’s medical condition as serious but not an emergency.
GOVERNMENT WANTS HIM MOVED
The medical testimony comes amid a push by the government to move Romualdez out of Cardinal Santos.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla earlier said the Department of the Interior and Local Government would ask the Sandiganbayan to transfer Romualdez to the Philippine National Police General Hospital at Camp Crame.
The PNP said it had already prepared a room and medical personnel should the court approve the transfer. Police officials also said Romualdez would not receive an executive suite or special accommodation at the PNP hospital.
Remulla has argued that the PNP facility can handle Romualdez’s medical needs while keeping him under proper custody.
The government has also raised security concerns, with Remulla describing Romualdez as a potential flight risk because of his access to private aircraft and other resources. Romualdez’s camp has denied any attempt to evade the law and has asked that he remain hospitalized until doctors determine that he is medically fit for transfer.
COURT TAKES CUSTODY ISSUE A STEP FURTHER
The controversy escalated Thursday when the Sandiganbayan issued a commitment order placing Romualdez under the custody of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
The order designated the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas as the detention facility, although the court was still hearing Romualdez’s request to remain confined at Cardinal Santos for medical reasons.
GMA News reported that custody was formally transferred from the PNP to the BJMP while the court continued examining whether Romualdez should remain hospitalized.
The development means the issue is no longer simply about whether Romualdez can stay in a private hospital. The Sandiganbayan must now weigh his doctors’ medical claims against the prosecution’s argument that his condition can be managed under government custody.
PROSECUTION CHALLENGES CONTINUED HOSPITAL CONFINEMENT
The prosecution has opposed Romualdez’s request to remain at Cardinal Santos and has called for an independent medical assessment by government doctors.
Prosecutors argue that his medical conditions can be treated by government physicians while he remains in detention.
The court summoned Romualdez’s doctors to testify precisely because it must determine whether his health condition justifies continued hospital confinement.
The hearing is expected to continue as prosecutors cross-examine the doctors and the court weighs the competing medical assessments.
THE LARGER CASE
Romualdez is facing a non-bailable plunder case involving approximately ₱7.4 billion in alleged kickbacks linked to government projects, including flood-control projects.
The Office of the Ombudsman has accused Romualdez and several others of receiving billions of pesos in alleged commissions and kickbacks between 2022 and 2025.
Romualdez has denied wrongdoing and said he will face the allegations through the legal process.
The case has drawn national attention because it forms part of the broader government investigation into alleged corruption involving billions of pesos in flood-control spending.
International coverage from the Associated Press has likewise highlighted the scale of the allegations, noting that thousands of flood-control projects have come under scrutiny amid claims that some were overpriced, substandard or never constructed.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
For now, the crucial question is whether the Sandiganbayan will accept the doctors’ argument that moving Romualdez from Cardinal Santos could expose him to unacceptable medical risks—or agree with prosecutors that his condition can be safely managed under government detention.
That decision could determine whether Romualdez remains in a hospital bed under custody or eventually faces transfer to the designated detention facility.
And with doctors giving different assessments of the urgency of his condition, the next phase of the Sandiganbayan hearing could prove decisive.
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