QUEZON CITY, Philippines — The legal team representing former House Speaker and incumbent Leyte 1st District Representative Martin Romualdez intends to submit a petition for bail before the Sandiganbayan Third Division on Monday, September 28.
The manifestation follows the conclusion of pre-trial proceedings on Friday, September 25, regarding the plunder charges against Romualdez over his alleged involvement in a ₱7.4-billion kickback scheme related to government flood-control initiatives.
Lead counsel Atty. Ade Fajardo explained that while the petition had already been prepared, the defense opted to wait until the pre-trial phase wrapped up before filing.
“Handa kami mag-file ng petition for bail. We will most likely file it on Monday,” Fajardo said.
Bail hearings are scheduled to run from October 12 through November 12, with morning and afternoon sessions set for Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. The prosecution has listed 96 witnesses in total—23 of whom will be presented during the bail hearings to argue that the evidence against Romualdez is strong—while the defense has named 40 witnesses.
Fajardo indicated that the defense will evaluate the prosecution’s presentations before finalizing its witness list.
“Kung sa aming pagtingin hindi naman kailangan sagutin or mahina naman or hindi malakas ang magiging ebidensya ng Prosecution, we might not feel the need to present those witnesses,” he noted.
“He wants his day to defend himself in court, and he will most likely testify,” Fajardo added regarding Romualdez’s intent to take the stand during the defense’s presentation of evidence.
Romualdez attended the Friday proceedings remotely via videoconference. He remains at the infirmary of the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas, as his defense team maintains that physical transport continues to pose safety risks.
“In the case of Congressman Romualdez, medyo risky parin ang transport. So we prefer that he attend online for the meantime,” Fajardo stated.
The anti-graft court’s Third Division previously approved the motion allowing the lawmaker to participate in his pre-trial virtually.