Metro Manila, Philippines – Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez has a personal staff member staying inside the Quezon City Jail to attend to his needs, the facility’s warden told the Sandiganbayan on Thursday, Nov. 5.
JSupt Maria Lourdes Pacion said she personally approved the arrangement on humanitarian grounds, citing her assessment of Romualdez’s mental state.
She said the arrangement was necessary because the jail could not provide someone to assist the former House speaker around the clock. Romualdez’s personal staff member has stayed with him since his detention on Sept. 14.
Defense lawyer Ade Fajardo, meanwhile, told reporters that he was unfamiliar with the details of the staff member’s arrangement with the jail management, but said his client’s mental health is monitored regularly.
Asked if other detainees received similar arrangements, Pacion said none other had such privileges, but she recalled that the facility previously allowed bedside assistance for a patient who needed care.
Pacion also discussed the facility’s closed-circuit television (CCTV) system, which has more than 400 cameras but faces limitations in monitoring and recording footage.
She said that although the facility has more than 20 television monitors, only one personnel monitors the cameras per eight-hour shift for lack of manpower.
Pacion also said the jail’s request for a decoder to properly preview CCTV footage has yet to be approved. She explained that previewing footage without it could result in cut portions.
When asked whether this meant some cameras did not continuously record, Pacion acknowledged the possibility of blind spots.
She maintained that jail personnel are not authorized to turn off the cameras or delete recorded footage.
The court said it would summon the facility’s information and communications technology personnel to explain the CCTV system, including its recording capabilities.
READ: Mon Tulfo retracts allegations that Romualdez sneaked out of detention
