Jonvic wants BJMP explanation on Romualdez aide

MANILA, Philippines — Officials from the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas are in hot water for allowing a personal staff of former speaker Martin Romualdez to stay with him around the clock in his cell.

Stressing that no detainee should receive special treatment, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla has ordered the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to submit a comprehensive report within two days establishing the legal and administrative basis for the arrangement with Romualdez.

Remulla said the report should also include the circumstances and the BJMP officers who greenlit the stay of Romualdez’s staff inside the jail facility.

“The report must be supported by relevant records and documentation and address whether applicable laws and regulations were complied with. Incomplete findings, unsupported explanations and failure to comply with this directive will not be accepted,” Remulla said on Friday night.

He ordered BJMP chief Efren Nemeno to preserve all relevant records, which must be submitted within the deadline he imposed.