MANILA, Philippines — The battle over former House Speaker Martin Romualdez’s continued hospital confinement is intensifying, with authorities insisting that his arrest for plunder must proceed even as his lawyers argue that his medical condition requires him to remain at Cardinal Santos Medical Center.
Romualdez was arrested on September 7 while confined at the San Juan hospital after the Sandiganbayan issued a warrant in connection with a P7.44-billion plunder case filed by the Office of the Ombudsman.
The case accuses Romualdez, former Ako Bicol party-list representative Elizaldy Co and two other respondents of allegedly receiving kickbacks and other financial benefits linked to government flood-control, infrastructure and other projects from 2022 to 2025. The allegations remain accusations, and Romualdez has denied wrongdoing.
The former Speaker’s camp has asked the Sandiganbayan to allow him to remain under hospital confinement, citing his documented cardiac and cerebrovascular history, diabetes, hypertension and other medical conditions.
His lawyers have maintained that the request is not an attempt to escape arrest or evade the court, arguing instead that continued confinement is medically necessary and can take place under government custody and judicial supervision.
But authorities have pushed back.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla previously said the government would not allow Romualdez to remain indefinitely in a private hospital simply because he is a prominent political figure.
Remulla said authorities had planned to ask the Sandiganbayan to move Romualdez to the PNP General Hospital at Camp Crame, where he could continue receiving medical care while remaining under custodial control. The PNP likewise said its medical facilities were prepared to accommodate him if the court approved the transfer.
Court takes control of custody
The issue, however, ultimately rests with the Sandiganbayan.
The anti-graft court stressed that custody of Romualdez belongs to the judiciary and that it—not law enforcement officials—must determine whether his medical condition justifies continued hospital confinement or eventual detention in a jail facility.
That became even more significant on September 10, when the Sandiganbayan ordered the transfer of Romualdez’s custody from the Philippine National Police to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
The BJMP has since taken custody of Romualdez even though he remains confined at Cardinal Santos Medical Center.
BJMP officials said Romualdez would receive the same treatment and privileges accorded to other persons deprived of liberty, with no VIP or special treatment.
Doctors questioned over hospital admission
The hospital confinement itself has also come under closer scrutiny during the Sandiganbayan proceedings.
Cardinal Santos admitting physician Dr. Kurt Allen Sibayan testified that Romualdez’s admission on September 7 was unusual because he was brought directly to a hospital room instead of going through the emergency room.
Sibayan said Romualdez had complained of chest pain but was not considered an emergency case at the time. He also testified that, despite being the admitting physician, he was prevented from physically examining Romualdez because attending physicians had instructed hospital personnel not to enter the room.
Another doctor, Dr. Rosalio Torres, testified that Romualdez remained at risk of a possible heart attack because of his medical history.
Torres said Romualdez’s staff contacted him after the former Speaker complained of chest pain on September 7, and he recommended hospital confinement given the patient’s cardiac history.
Romualdez was eventually admitted at about 4 p.m.—roughly six hours after the initial call and about an hour before the arrest warrant was issued, according to testimony reported by Philstar.
Remulla: No one is above the law
The controversy has placed additional attention on Remulla, whose department handled the law-enforcement side of Romualdez’s arrest.
Remulla has repeatedly emphasized that personal relationships would not prevent authorities from enforcing the warrant.
Romualdez is a cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., while Remulla and Romualdez are fraternity brothers. The Ombudsman, Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, is also a close associate of Romualdez.
Despite those relationships, Jonvic Remulla said there were no instructions from the President regarding Romualdez’s treatment following his arrest. He also said there had been no prior coordination between himself and the Ombudsman concerning the arrest.
The Interior secretary has framed the case as a test of whether the government can enforce the law regardless of political connections.
The P7.44-billion question
At the center of the controversy is the Ombudsman’s allegation that Romualdez and Co repeatedly received commissions, percentages, kickbacks and other financial benefits amounting to at least P7.44 billion.
According to the charge sheet, the alleged transactions occurred on at least 15 occasions and involved contractors and entities connected to flood-control, infrastructure and other government projects funded from 2022 to 2025.
The Ombudsman has also indicated that the case against Romualdez may not end with the current plunder charge.
More cases, including additional plunder and money-laundering complaints, have been anticipated by prosecutors.
The wider scandal has involved thousands of government flood-control projects, with AP reporting that nearly 10,000 projects worth more than P545 billion have come under scrutiny, amid allegations that some projects were overpriced, substandard or never constructed.
Hospital stay continues—for now
Despite the transfer of custody to the BJMP, Romualdez remains at Cardinal Santos Medical Center.
The Sandiganbayan said his hospital confinement will continue until the court issues another order, while proceedings concerning his medical condition and continued confinement remain ongoing.
The development leaves the case at a critical crossroads: Romualdez remains hospitalized, but his custody is no longer solely in the hands of the police.
What happens next will depend largely on the Sandiganbayan’s assessment of the medical testimony—and whether the court ultimately finds sufficient grounds for him to remain in the private hospital or orders his transfer to a regular detention facility.
For now, one thing is clear: the hospital room has become another front in the much larger legal battle over the alleged multibillion-peso flood-control scandal.
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