Senator Panfilo Lacson has backed the Sandiganbayan’s decision to require independent medical examinations for high-profile detainees, saying it could prevent the misuse of hospital confinement to avoid jail.
Lacson said Sunday, Sept. 13, that the case of former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez should be among those covered by the approach.
“We have seen a pattern of prominent personalities trying to avoid detention in actual jails by claiming to be ill. So the Sandiganbayan did well in ordering a medical examination by an independent team of doctors,” he said in an interview on DZBB radio.
“Such hospital stays have become a business of sorts for some high-profile personalities. It is not a joke to be confined in a hospital because it is as expensive as staying in a hotel,” Lacson added.
The senator cited Senator Rodante Marcoleta, who was initially confined at the Philippine National Police General Hospital while facing graft and plunder charges.
After an independent assessment by the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital found no condition requiring continued confinement, Marcoleta was ordered transferred to the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas.
Lacson also cited former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, who was similarly confined at the PNP hospital before being released.
The senator also renewed his call for Filipinos to remain angry over alleged corruption in flood control projects, saying recent monsoon rains should remind the public of the consequences of misuse of public funds.
“It seems the heavens want to remind us Filipinos about what happens when public funds are abused. We should not forget,” he said.IMT
