Former House Speaker Romualdez moved to PGH for independent medical examination
MANILA, Philippines — Former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez was transferred to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) on Saturday morning, 12 September 2026, to undergo an independent medical examination ordered by the Sandiganbayan.
An ambulance carrying the Leyte representative departed Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City and arrived at PGH in Manila at approximately 8:35 a.m. The transfer was executed by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), which assumed official custody of the former lawmaker earlier in the week following his arrest on a 7.44-billion-peso plunder charge.
The Sandiganbayan Third Division issued the directive on Friday, 11 September, instructing PGH Director Dr. Gerardo Legaspi or his authorized representatives to evaluate Romualdez independently. The court explicitly mandated that the assessment be conducted without any direct or indirect participation or influence from Romualdez's private attending physicians.
Romualdez had been seeking continued hospital confinement at Cardinal Santos Medical Center, where he was admitted on 7 September. His legal and medical team cited severe underlying conditions, including coronary artery disease, unstable angina, hypertension, depressive disorder, and an elevated risk of a heart attack or stroke.
The anti-graft court ordered PGH medical experts to determine whether there is a genuine medical necessity for Romualdez's continued hospital detention, or if he is fit to be committed to a regular detention facility, specifically the New Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory in Payatas.
The PGH medical team has been instructed to submit its official findings and recommendations to the anti-graft court by Sunday, 13 September 2026. PGH doctors are scheduled to present and testify on their report during a Sandiganbayan hearing on Monday morning, 14 September.
The plunder case against Romualdez stems from charges filed by the Office of the Ombudsman regarding alleged kickbacks from government infrastructure projects.
