Ampatuan allowed to undergo medical check-up

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

A PROMINENT suspect in the Maguindanao massacre case has been allowed to undergo a medical check-up outside his jail cell after he was given permission by a Quezon City court.

However, suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) governor Rizaldy "Zaldy" Ampatuan is required to return immediately to the Quezon City Jail Annex of the Metro Manila District Jail (MMDJ) in Taguig City.

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Ampatuan, who reportedly has a falling out with father Andal Sr. and brother Andal Jr., who are also massacre suspects, was allowed to visit St. Luke's Global Center Hospital, also located in Taguig.

This developed after Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes, who is hearing the case, allowed Zaldy's outpatient visit.

Solis-Reyes' order was based on the finding of Chief Inspector Agnes Aglipay who recommended that Zaldy must be treated in a "hospital setting."

Aglipay, the director of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology National Capital Region Health Service, replaced Victoria Valeria after the latter was sacked for making an erroneous medical report about the condition of former Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr., who also earlier sought to be brought to the Makati Medical Center (MMC).

Zaldy had complained of shortness of breath and fluctuating sugar levels.

In her recommendation, Aglipay said his condition could only be relieved by nebulation and the installation of oxygen.

According to Aglipay's recommendations, Zaldy should also undergo peripheral arterial and venous duplex scam, endothelial function test, blood chemistry that includes myocardial perfusion imaging, 12-lead ECG and 24-hour Holter monitoring and carotid duplex scan.

Zaldys' camp said he was both hypertensive and insulin dependent since 2001 as he was suffering from diabetes.

Last week, Zaldy said he is prepared to reveal all he knows about the massacre even if it implicates his father and other relatives though he insisted that he is innocent.

Fifty-seven people, including 32 journalists, were killed by gunmen allegedly upon the orders of the Ampatuan clan. The body of the 58th victim has yet to be recovered by the authorities.

He also revealed that massive cheating took place in Maguindanao during the 2007 mid-term election as he accused former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, of masterminding the irregularities. (AH/Sunnex)