Fiscals oppose Andal Sr. hospitalization

MANILA, Philippines - The prosecution panel handling the 2009 Ampatuan massacre has formally opposed a request for hospitalization by one of the prime suspects in the case, former Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr.

In a motion submitted on May 6, the prosecution asked Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes to deny Ampatuan’s request, saying the timing of the motion is questionable since Ampatuan may be arraigned soon.

“There is high level of risk that accused Andal Ampatuan Sr. will flee, if his request to be confined to a government tertiary hospital is granted,” they added.

Ampatuan filed on May 2 an urgent motion to be examined at a tertiary hospital, saying he is suffering from sharp, continuous pain in his swollen right leg and foot, possibly caused by his prostrate ailment.

Solis-Reyes directed a Bureau of Jail Management and Penology physician to check him, but Dr. Victoria Valeria said it is Ampatuan’s left ankle joint, not right, that is swollen due to osteoarthritis. She also recommended that the patriarch be examined by his personal physician, Dr. Glenn Santos, as an outpatient. Solis-Reyes, however, asked Valeria in a May 9 order to “immediately” explain in writing why she referred Ampatuan to a private doctor.