SC junks petition seeking to compel Palace to release Duterte's health bulletin

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte holds a meeting with some members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) at the Malago Clubhouse in Malacañang on April 13, 2020.
Presidential photo/Karl Norman Alonzo

MANILA, Philippines —The Supreme Court has rejected the petition seeking to compel the government to disclose the health bulletin of President Rodrigo Duterte.

News5, quoting unidentified sources, reported that the SC voted 13-2 to dismiss the Extremely Urgent Petition for Mandamus filed by lawyer Dino De Leon who sought to ask the SC to direct the Office of the President and/or Executive Secretary Medialdea to dislose the president’s medical records.

He also asked that Duterte be directed to undergo confirmatory tests and release these tests’ results. This is to confirm whether or not Duterte is still fit to lead the country, said De Leon.

The SC dismissed the petition without asking the government to answer De Leon’s petition.

The ruling on De Leon’s petition has yet to be made public.

De Leon’s petition

In asking the SC for a writ of mandamus, De Leon listed the disease that Duterte claims to have such as Myasthenia Gravis, Buerger’s Disease, GERD and Barrett’s Esophagus.

He said that Duterte’s admission “paint a picture of the President afflicted with various serious illnesses, which at the minimum will cause serious inconvenience to and prejudice the discharge of his official duties.”

The petitioner also cited that Duterte already admitted to using Fentanyl, a type of opioid pain medication.

“It is crucial for the Filipino People to know whether or not they have a Chief Executive who possesses unimpeded judgment, free from any form of condition or substance that may affect his ability to make sound decisions,” he added. — with report from News5/Dale De Vera

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