MANILA, Philippines — The camp of former speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez will petition for bail on Monday and is considering having him attend the trial remotely because of the risks associated with transporting him from detention.
Romualdez lawyer Ade Fajardo said the defense had been ready to file the petition and was only waiting for the Sandiganbayan Third Division to terminate the pre-trial proceedings on Friday.
“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,” Fajardo told reporters after the hearing.
The court set the bail hearings from Oct. 12 to Nov. 12, 2026, every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, at 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Fajardo said Romualdez could attend the bail hearings through videoconference depending on his condition. He also said the defense could seek to waive Romualdez’s personal appearance once the trial proper begins.
“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.
Romualdez attended Friday’s proceedings via videoconference from the New Quezon City Jail infirmary in Payatas.
