The Sandiganbayan Third Division has ordered two Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) officials to personally appear before the court to address allegations that former House Speaker and incumbent Leyte 1st District Representative Martin Romualdez has been allowed to leave his detention center.
Jail Superintendent Maria Lourdes Pacion and Medical Officer Henry Fabro of the New Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory in Payatas have been directed to testify on November 5 at 8:30 a.m. regarding the current status of Romualdez’s custody.
“In light of the recent online news articles, the Sandiganbayan Third Division has issued a Resolution ordering Jail Superintendent Maria Lourdes P. Pacion and Medical Officer Henry N. Fabro, both of BJMP City Jail-Male Dormitory, Payatas, Q.C., to PERSONALLY APPEAR and TESTIFY tomorrow, November 5, 2026, at 8:30 a.m., re: the current status of accused Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez’s custody at BJMP Payatas,” the court stated.
Allegations of Special Treatment
The court’s summons stems from claims made by columnist Ramon Tulfo, who alleged that Pacion purposefully cuts off the facility’s power supply during Romualdez’s supposed movements to blind CCTV cameras.
The report further claimed that Romualdez exits through the facility’s back stairs, where an ambulance is supposedly kept ready for transport.
Romualdez is currently detained at the Payatas facility facing a non-bailable ₱7.44-billion plunder case filed by the Office of the Ombudsman.