Manila: Malaca±ang announced on Wednesday that it will not intervene in the legal proceedings surrounding former House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez, a cousin of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. The Palace stressed that the determination of the case should be based solely on evidence and the law, as decided by the courts.
According to Philippines News Agency, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro emphasized that decisions regarding Romualdez's custody and medical condition should be left to the relevant authorities and his doctors. "For now, there is no discussion about hospital arrest. It will depend on the doctor's findings," she stated during a Palace briefing.
Castro's remarks followed the request from Romualdez's camp for continued hospital confinement after his arrest under a Sandiganbayan warrant. She refuted allegations of special treatment, noting that law enforcers acted promptly on the warrant and that medical professionals should determine if Romualdez is fit for transfer from the hospital.
"The PNP or DILG leadership cannot force an accused to be brought out immediately from the hospital when doctors have certified that he is not yet fit to be removed or transferred from the hospital," Castro clarified. The Palace, she added, would defer to the doctors' judgment regarding Romualdez's medical status.
When asked if President Marcos had communicated with Romualdez or planned a visit, Castro indicated no such information was available. She also declined to comment on the President's personal sentiments about his cousin's arrest, underscoring the importance of accountability and the judicial process over personal feelings.
"What is needed here is for those who should be held accountable, be held accountable. Whatever the President's feelings may be - whether happy, sad, or anything else - are no longer important," Castro remarked.
Regarding claims that Romualdez was "abandoned" by the administration, Castro disagreed with the term. "According to the Office of the Ombudsman, they found evidence. So, no one is being abandoned here. We should base this only on whatever evidence is there," she said.
Romualdez was apprehended on Monday evening under a warrant related to plunder charges by the Office of the Ombudsman. The charges involve the alleged misuse of PHP7.4 billion in government funds, also implicating former Ako-Bicol Party-list representative Zaldy Co and two others. The Ombudsman has stated its intention to contest Romualdez's request for extended hospital confinement and will seek an evaluation by government doctors on whether his condition can be managed outside the hospital.
