Attending physician of Ramos’ sister testifies before NBI

The eldest sister of slain Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Alicia Ramos, could not have ordered her sister and closest friend to be harmed.

This was the testimony of Rene Yat, the psychiatrist of Ester Bailey, 65, who has been implicated in Ramos’ death by a witness who claimed that he was paid P20,000 to "scare and rob" Ramos, 64.

Yat made a surprise visit to the NBI-National Capital Region (NBI-NCR) office and belied the statements given by Roberto "Obet" Lumagui.

Lumagui had testified that their plan to merely "scare and rob" Ramos fell apart and they accidentally killed her when they covered her nose with a packaging tape, which prevented her from breathing.

Lumagui said Bailey has a grudge against her siblings because they refused to let her handle her finances and branded her as a spendthrift.

Yat, meanwhile, said that Bailey, has been confined at the St. Claire Medical Center (SCMC) in Makati City, where she has been a patient since 2000. Prior to this, he said Bailey was treated in another medical facility for eight years.

Yat said he doubted that his patient would hire men to scare her sisters, especially Ramos because she was her best friend and they were very close.

"It’s impossible that Ester Bailey is the mastermind. Anybody who knows her is aware that you cannot have a good conversation with her because she is always angry," Yat said.

He added, "It is unbelievable for her to make instructions. She is already old and frail and a diabetic."

Yat said it was in fact Ramos who hired him to be Bailey’s attending psychiatrist. He disclosed that Ramos visits her sister regularly at the SCMC or about twice a week. She has reportedly asked him to pick up Bailey two days before the break in at their house at no. 5552 Boyle Street, Barangay Palanan, Makati City where the crime was committed because she was having another one of her fits.

In the early morning of April 24, the robbers forced themselves inside the house, hogtied and gagged Ramos and another sister, Leticia, 61.

Yat said he decided to drop by at the office of NBI-NCR Regional Director Edmund Arugay’ to shed light on the investigation. He said he was alarmed after he heard on television that his patient was allegedly in hiding and that the authorities had declared her at large.

Arugay consented to the request of Yat to let government doctors make their own observation and assessment on Bailey.