Partylist rep wants probe on ‘scandal’
A partylist representative is pushing for a House inquiry on the scandalous video that showed doctors and nurses laughing and cheering while an operation was being done on a 39-year-old gay florist to take out a perfume canister from his rectum.
This as the fact-finding committee that investigated the incident yesterday revealed the results of its investigation and recommendations for those who have participation in the incident.
Akbayan Partylist Rep. Riza Hontiveros-Baraquel said that when the House convenes on Monday, she would file resolution seeking for an inquiry on video scandal because it involved government institution and employees.
Baraquel, who was in town yesterday for a speaking engagement, paid the victim a visit at the Basak-Pardo barangay hall. She assured him of moral, legal and legislative support.
She said what the doctors and nurses did was very scandalous and there should an in-depth investigation on the matter to determine their liabilities.
Baraquel said she would also write a letter to the chairman of the Committee on Human Rights to make the proposed bill that seek to criminalize the discrimination against gays and lesbians urgent.
“There is a sense of urgency to stop the abuses and human rights violations against the lesbians, gays and bisexuals,” she stressed.
Provincial Board Member Agnes Magpale said she would co-sponsor a resolution joining the clamor for an honest to goodness investigation in order to save the reputation among the country’s Filipino nurses and doctors.
Basak-Pardo barangay capain Dave Tumulak said the barangay will help the victim in any way that it can.
At present, he said that the victim has left his job as a florist because of embarrassment as most of the people in their barangay have already identified him.
Tumulak said that a group of gays and lesbians has also offered to provide counseling for the victim to cope with the traumatic experience.
The group’s representative, Atty. Magdalena Lepiten also said that they are willing to help in the legal aspect if the victim files charges.
Cebu Archdiocese media relations officer Monsignor Achilles Dakay said it is a welcome development that the hospital immediately came up with recommendations.
“However, they should also look into the perversion of the patient,” Dakay said.
Though earlier he said that everyone should be treated fairly no matter what the status may be. PRC regional director Dan Maglayang however said their agency cannot act based on the results of the VSMMC investigating body.
Maglayang said there has to be a formal complaint from the victim or any of the medical professional group like the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) and the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) before they could take any action as stated under the primer of Republic Act 8981 or the Act Modernizing the PRC. Members of different cause-oriented groups like Bayan Muna, Gabriela and Anakbayan also held a picket rally at the gate of the VSMMC while the management was holding a press conference to announce the result of the committee investigation.
Action Needed
The recent controversy reportedly supports the
“We have been believing that something is wrong with the VSMMC, in fact, we tried to address the situation by moving to take over its primary and secondary services,” said Capitol consultant Rory Jon Sepulveda.
The secretary of the Department of Health, which runs the VSMMC, offered the province to unload VSMMC of responsibility over primary and secondary services.
The move followed President Gloria Arroyo’s announcement during a visit to
Concerned with the way some VSMMC personnel handled their patients, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia had accepted the proposal and moved to take supervision and control over its primary and secondary services.
Aside from the complaints reaching her office, the Provincial Legal Department also cited a Local Government Code provision stating that primary and secondary health services are under the local governments.
But the management and personnel of the VSMMC expressed strong objections to the move, and even held protests against it. — Wenna A. Berondo, Ferliza C. Contratista and Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/NLQ
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