The admitting physician at Cardinal Santos Medical Center testified that former House Speaker Martin Romualdez bypassed the usual admitting process and went straight to a private hospital room instead of the emergency ward when served his ₱7.4‑billion plunder warrant.
Dr. Kurt Allen Sibayan described the circumstances as “unusual,” saying Romualdez was supposedly brought in for chest pain but never personally seen, as he was taken directly to a room.
Sibayan said his role was limited to preparing and signing Romualdez’s medical abstract, adding that attending physician Dr. Rosalio Torres barred him from entering, preventing any examination.
According to Sibayan, patients complaining of chest pain are normally evaluated in the ER before admission. Romualdez’s arrival was not treated as an emergency, making his direct admission highly irregular.
The testimony came as the Sandiganbayan Third Division reviewed Romualdez’s request to remain confined at Cardinal Santos. The court summoned doctors and medical records to test the legitimacy of his claims.
Romualdez begged for medical detention instead of jail, but the bedside monitor when he was served his arrest warrant told another story: heart rate between 81 and 98 bpm, oxygen saturation at 99%, and blood pressure ranging from a normal 118/76 to a slightly elevated 148/90.
Romualdez has been under arrest since Sept. 7 in connection with the ₱7.44‑billion plunder case filed by the Ombudsman over the flood‑control scandal. His booking was conducted inside the hospital, and he skipped appearing before the Sandiganbayan after his camp claimed he was “medically unfit to travel.”
The Sandiganbayan, siding with public outcry, ordered Romualdez’s transfer to the Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory in Payatas after hospital confinement. His arraignment and pre‑trial are set for September 14 at 8:30 a.m.
The ₱7.44‑billion plunder case is only the beginning. More plunder and money‑laundering charges are expected from the Ombudsman. For millions of Filipinos left to endure flooding while ghost flood‑control projects failed them, the court’s decision marks a victory against the master plunderer.
