THE Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) on Thursday took custody of former speaker Martin Romualdez at Cardinal Santos Medical Center after the Sandiganbayan Third Division ordered him committed to the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas.
He remains at the private San Juan hospital, however, while the anti-graft court decides on his petition for continued hospital arrest.
BJMP spokesman JSupt. Jayrex Joseph Bustinera assured the public that Romualdez “will be accorded the same treatment and privileges as other persons deprived of liberty, with no VIP or special treatment.” Upon medical clearance for discharge and upon order of the court, he will be transferred to the Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory in Payatas, Quezon City.
As of Thursday, the anti-graft court had yet to issue a decision on Romualdez’s motion for continued hospital arrest.
Bustinera said the jail facility has an in-house physician who will coordinate with Romualdez’s doctor.
In the spirit of transparency, the BJMP also welcomes an independent team of doctors to check on the lawmaker.
We want to be fair to everyone,” Bustinera told reporters in a phone interview.
Jail room ready
Bustinera said a 47- to 50-square-meter room with five double-deck beds, two bathrooms and two electric fans — is now ready to take in the lawmaker. Each cell can take 10 inmates.
“They have been prepared for a long time now. We have already identified cells for that. As for the exact cell placement, that depends — just like with those who came before, they undergo booking and commitment procedures, as well as risk assessments. Whatever ideal or recommended cell comes out of that will be followed,” Bustinera said in Filipino.
He said they have yet to decide who will be his cellmates, as room assignments depend on the dates of commitment to the jail.
“We also have health considerations — such as who need closer access to the infirmary or clinic — which we also take into account,” he added.
Doctors disagree
Doctors treating Romualdez gave differing accounts before the Sandiganbayan on Thursday over the circumstances of his admission to Cardinal Santos Medical Center, as the court scrutinized his continued hospital confinement.
Dr. Kurt Allen Sibayan, the hospital’s admitting physician, testified that he was not allowed to examine Romualdez after the former speaker arrived at the hospital at around 4 p.m. on Sept. 7.
“We were advised that we were not allowed inside the patient’s room,” Sibayan told the court, identifying attending physicians Dr. Rody Sy and Dr. Rosalio Torres as the doctors who relayed the instruction.
Sibayan testified that Romualdez’s condition was not an emergency case, but agreed with Associate Justice Ronald Moreno that the arrangement in which he was admitted directly to a hospital room without passing through the emergency room was “unusual.” Sibayan added that Romualdez did not pass through the emergency room but was brought directly to a hospital room despite complaining of chest pain.
Although designated as the admitting physician, Sibayan said he was only asked to prepare Romualdez’s medical abstract on Sept. 9, and was not allowed to enter the room.
Torres later took the witness stand and contradicted Sibayan’s testimony, saying Sibayan had seen Romualdez and had relayed the former speaker’s medical condition to Torres.
Torres testified that a member of Romualdez’s staff had informed him that the former speaker complained of chest pains at around 9 a.m. on Sept. 7.
“I advised that he be confined to look into this problem,” Torres said.
He maintained that Romualdez should remain confined at Cardinal Santos because he was at “high risk of possible heart attack.”
“In case of emergency, he would have an hour [to be treated]. We believe he may not be afforded that one hour [if he is to be moved to a new facility],” Torres told the court.
When Moreno asked what required Romualdez’s continued confinement, Torres cited unstable angina with underlying coronary disease, which he described as an impending heart attack.
