Andal Sr. confined at military hospital

MANILA, Philippines - Former Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr., one of the primary accused in the in November 2009 Maguindanao massacre, will have to stay for five more days at the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center (AFPMC) in Quezon City.

Ampatuan, who is detained at the Quezon City Jail annex in Bicutan, Taguig, was first rushed to the Taguig-Pateros Hospital at 1:20 p.m. Friday by personnel of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) after complaining of difficulty in breathing and vomiting blood.

Two hours later, Ampatuan was transferred to the AFPMC, according to Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo.

Ampatuan had been earlier confined at the BJMP infirmary for high fever and high blood pressure.

“He (Ampatuan) was taken to (AFPMC) because the Taguig-Pateros hospital is not equipped to treat him. Doctors say he may have to stay… for five more days,” Robredo said.

He added that the AFPMC is the most secured government hospital to treat the elder Ampatuan.

He said the Philippine National Police (PNP) General Hospital is also not equipped to treat him and the court had already been notified of his transfer to the AFPMC.

Robredo said a security task force, composed of personnel both from the BJMP and the PNP, is securing Ampatuan during his stay at the AFPMC.

Military doctors said Ampatuan could be suffering from chronic alcoholic liver disease and chronic obstrucive pulmonary disease.

Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos, AFP spokesman, said Ampatuan remains at the surgical intensive care unit.

Burgos clarified that Ampatuan was admitted to the AFPMC as an emergency case patient and was not cleared by the court. Because of this, he could only stay at the military hospital for 24 hours after admission, he said.

“If there’s no court order allowing his confinement, he would be returned to his detention cell at the Metro Manila District Jail in Bicutan,” he said.

Director Rosendo Dial of the BJMP said Ampatuan was also found to be suffering from Type 2 diabetes and hypertensive cardiovascular disease.

“He (Andal Sr.) is still weak but conscious. He’s on dextrose,” Dial said.

The jail official noted that as of yesterday, relatives have yet to visit Ampatuan but stressed that they would be allowed to be with him if they come to the military hospital. – Mike Frialde, Reinir Padua, Jaime Laude