THE legal team of former House speaker Martin Romualdez said it will submit a petition for bail on Monday.
“We were just waiting for the pre-trial proceedings to finally terminate. The petition for bail has actually been ready for some time. We were only waiting to formally file it because the pre-trial proceedings were terminated only this morning,” Romualdez's lawyer Ade Fajardo told reporters after the hearing.
Romualdez, who is facing a 7.4-billion-peso plunder case before the Sandiganbayan, attended Friday’s virtual hearing from the New Quezon City Jail infirmary in Payatas.
For the bail proceedings, hearings will run from Oct. 12 to Nov. 12 every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., with Romualdez required by the court to attend the initial proceeding.
“Accused Romualdez is required to be present and sign the pre-trial order during the initial bail hearing on Oct. 12, 2026, at 8:30 in the morning,” Sandiganbayan Third Division Justice Karl Miranda said.
Prosecutors said they would present 23 witnesses during the hearings. Romualdez’s camp, on the other hand, is preparing three to four witnesses to counter the evidence presented against him.
Once the bail hearings are finished, the official trial is scheduled to begin on Nov. 23, with proceedings set every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday thereafter. The prosecution was allotted 74 trial dates, while Romualdez’s defense was given 41.
Citing his health condition and transportation risks, Romualdez’s lawyers are eyeing a remote proceeding.
“There is an option for him not to attend personally. In fact, once the trial proceedings begin, there is a possibility that we will waive his appearance, just so he will not be put at risk because situations involving transport can cause additional stress,” Fajardo said
