A Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) official admitted Monday, Nov. 9, that some CCTV recordings from the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas had already been overwritten, raising questions about the availability of surveillance footage covering former House Speaker Martin Romualdez‘s detention.
Jail Superintendent Maria Lourdes Pacion revealed this during a Sandiganbayan Third Division hearing, after the court asked whether recordings dating back to Romualdez’s transfer on Sept. 14 could still be accessed, amid questions over his preferential treatment and alleged trips outside the facility.
The admission came after the anti-graft court ordered jail authorities to examine CCTV footage from Sept. 14 to Nov. 4 and submit a notarized report detailing Romualdez’s whereabouts. The court also demanded surveillance logs, maintenance records, power interruption reports, and records of vehicle and ambulance movements.
Ombudsman Boying Remulla had earlier criticized the BJMP for permitting Romualdez to keep a personal assistant inside his detention cell, questioning the privileges extended to the former House speaker.
“Walang dahilan para payagan ‘yan. Ano ‘yan, mafia?” Remulla said.
He cautioned that jail personnel who approved the arrangement could be dismissed and pledged to investigate the matter, adding that his office had already identified a group involved but refused to disclose their identities.
During an earlier hearing on Nov. 5, Pacion disclosed that the facility had more than 400 surveillance cameras, some of which were no longer functioning. She also acknowledged limitations in monitoring equipment and personnel.
Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Karl Miranda also questioned the arrangement, saying that in more than two decades of visiting detention facilities, he had never encountered such privileges. Pacion previously admitted personally approving the arrangement, citing Romualdez’s mental condition and insufficient jail personnel to attend to his daily needs.
The court’s scrutiny followed claims by columnist Ramon Tulfo that Romualdez had been leaving the jail through a backdoor staircase and using an ambulance. Tulfo later withdrew his claims, acknowledging that his source had provided incorrect information.
Pacion denied any unauthorized departure, while the BJMP’s initial CCTV review found no recorded unauthorized movement outside the facility during the period examined.
Romualdez has been detained since September over a ₱7.44-billion plunder case involving kickbacks from government flood-control and infrastructure projects.
