Malacañang on Tuesday cited findings from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) dismissing claims that former House Speaker Martin Romualdez had been secretly allowed to leave his detention facility while CCTV cameras were allegedly disabled.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the BJMP’s review showed no recorded power outages or CCTV disruptions at the Quezon City Jail male dormitory in the past month. The bureau also found no record of Romualdez leaving the facility during the period under review, aside from his court-authorized trip to attend a hearing at the Sandiganbayan on Oct. 12.
In response to the allegations, the BJMP said it has ordered an investigation to determine the facts surrounding the claims. The bureau reiterated that all persons deprived of liberty are governed by the same detention protocols and that any movement outside a jail facility must be covered by a valid court order.
