Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez was moved late Monday, September 15, 2026, from the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) to the New Quezon City Jail's male dormitory in Payatas, according to the Philippine Star, clearing the way for his arraignment before the Sandiganbayan Third Division set for Tuesday, September 16 at 8:30 a.m. Romualdez, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s first cousin, faces a plunder charge over an alleged ₱7.44 billion in kickbacks from contractors with interests in flood-control and other infrastructure projects.
The transfer caps just over a week since his arrest on September 7. He was moved to PGH on September 11 for an independent medical evaluation ordered amid questions over his fitness for jail detention, and was shifted to the Quezon City facility at 10:09 p.m. on September 15 following that evaluation, the Philippine Star reported.
PGH Director Dr. Gerardo Legaspi told the court Romualdez was "clinically stable" and unlikely to experience an emergency medical condition outside hospital care, according to the Philippine Star's account of the evaluation. Doctors confirmed Romualdez has chronic coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease, but found that unstable angina was "not demonstrated" and that his stress test response was normal; his estimated ten-year risk of a heart attack was put at roughly 3%.
Dr. Henry Fabro, chief medical officer of the Quezon City Jail, assured the court the facility could manage Romualdez's medical needs, including his regular use of a CPAP breathing machine and continued consultations with his private doctors, the Philippine Star reported. Separately, GMA News Online and the Filipino Times reported that the Sandiganbayan has allowed Romualdez to attend his arraignment by videoconference rather than in person, a concession tied to his ongoing medical monitoring.
As of this report, Romualdez and his legal team had not issued a public statement responding to the jail transfer or the arraignment arrangements.
Context
Romualdez's plunder case is part of the broader flood-control corruption scandal that has swept up other officials and contractors over the past year, including former lawmaker Zaldy Co, whose properties have been frozen in a related graft case, and multiple engineers and contractors named in Ombudsman and Commission on Audit findings of "ghost" or substandard flood-control projects nationwide. Pulpulitiko reported on September 11 that the Sandiganbayan had first ordered Romualdez held at the Quezon City jail while his hospital stay continued; this week's transfer confirms that order has now been carried out. The Ombudsman told Congress on September 13 that 35 flood-control graft cases have already reached the courts, with 166 more under investigation.
Sources
- "Romualdez moved to Payatas jail, arraignment set Sept. 16" — Philstar.com
- "Martin Romualdez allowed to attend arraignment via videoconference -Sandiganbayan" — GMA News Online
- "Martin Romualdez now in Payatas jail a week after arrest" — Rappler
- "Romualdez allowed to attend arraignment via videoconference" — The Filipino Times
