The Sandiganbayan Third Division has again summoned Quezon City Jail officials after finding serious gaps in CCTV surveillance near the detention cell of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, raising concerns about the facility’s ability to independently verify his movements while in custody.
New Quezon City Jail Warden Jail Supt. Maria Lourdes Pacion, Medical Officer Henry Fabro, and personnel from the facility’s Information Technology Department have been ordered to appear before the anti-graft court on Thursday, Nov. 12.
Clerk of Court Atty. Dennis Pulma confirmed the summons following the court’s findings that more than half of the facility’s 450 CCTV cameras were not functioning.
The court also found that no operational CCTV camera was directed toward Romualdez’s detention cell, leaving a critical gap in surveillance of the former House Speaker.
During previous proceedings, Pacion acknowledged problems with the jail’s surveillance equipment, including inadequate maintenance personnel and limitations in recording CCTV footage.
Associate Justice Karl Miranda questioned the extent of the surveillance gaps.
“So you have hundreds of blind spots?” Miranda asked.
“I think so,” Pacion replied.
The Sandiganbayan previously ordered jail authorities to examine surveillance recordings covering Sept. 14 to Nov. 4 and submit a notarized report accounting for Romualdez’s whereabouts throughout his detention.
The court also demanded CCTV maintenance records, system operating logs, information on deleted or altered recordings, power interruption reports, vehicle movement records, ambulance logs, and relevant medical documents.
During the Nov. 9 proceedings, jail officials acknowledged that some surveillance recordings had already been overwritten, complicating efforts to reconstruct movements inside the facility.
Sandiganbayan justices also conducted an ocular inspection of the detention facility, examining Romualdez’s cell, the CCTV monitoring booth, and the infirmary.
The court’s examination followed claims that Romualdez had secretly left the detention facility aboard an ambulance. The source of those claims, columnist Ramon Tulfo, subsequently retracted the allegation after acknowledging that he had received incorrect information.
The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology previously maintained that its initial review found no recorded unauthorized movement by Romualdez outside the facility. Jail officials have also denied allowing him to leave without court authorization.
Romualdez remains detained in connection with a ₱7.44-billion plunder case involving government infrastructure projects.
