FORMER speaker Martin Romualdez on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to the P7.4-billion plunder charge filed against him in connection with an alleged government infrastructure kickback scheme.
Romualdez entered his plea via videoconference from the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas after the Sandiganbayan Third Division rejected his request to waive the reading of the criminal information.
Third Division chairman Associate Justice Karl Miranda said Romualdez’s medical condition should not prevent the proceedings from moving forward.
“There are many more PDLs (persons deprived of liberty) who have a worse medical condition compared to Congressman Romualdez,” Miranda said.
Romualdez’s lawyer, Ade Fajardo, said they filed the motion on Tuesday because his client’s medical condition remained uncertain and they wanted to avoid the risks associated with physically transferring him from the jail to the Sandiganbayan.
Fajardo said Romualdez also sought to waive the reading because he had already reviewed the criminal information several times.
“He waived the right to the reading of the information because it’s a right. He is a lawyer. He has studied the information several times, so the reading is not necessary because it is lengthy and can add to his stress,” Fajardo said in a chance interview.
Romualdez, wearing a yellow shirt issued to PDLs and seated in a wheelchair, attended the arraignment through videoconference from the New Quezon City Jail-Male Dormitory.
The court cited the testimony of University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) medical director Dr. Gerardo Legaspi that Romualdez was clinically stable and did not require hospital confinement.
“UP-PGH is only recommending monitoring, not continuing hospital confinement,” Miranda said.
Miranda added that there was no imperative need to transfer Romualdez to a tertiary hospital because his condition had been controlled and could be managed outside the hospital.
“Any invocation of ill health is not sufficient for an accused’s continued confinement at a hospital,” Miranda said.
Romualdez’s camp is also set to file a petition for bail for the plunder charge.
“We know that if the evidence of guilt is strong, the Sandiganbayan can deny the petition for bail. We are proceeding with the petition for bail so we can finally present our case to the court,” Fajardo said.
