'Visit by Chiz, Kris may hasten raped nurse's recovery'

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – For relatives of the 22-year-old volunteer nurse who was gang-raped in South Upi, Maguindanao last Sept. 25, a visit by Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero and actress Kris Aquino is surely welcome to speed up her recovery.

“She’s so fascinated with Sen. Escudero and Kris Aquino. She’s a big fan of these two well-known personalities,” an aunt told reporters here yesterday.

Officials of the Maguindanao Integrated Provincial Health Office said the victim has indeed been wishing to personally see Escudero and Aquino when she recuperates from head injuries that left half of her body paralyzed.

Leopoldo Vega, executive director of Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in Davao City where she was confined, said she could already be discharged in a few days, as she has shown remarkable recovery in her motor and cognitive functions.

“She is ready for discharge. We are just awaiting the proper coordination as to where she would be going after we discharge her. That is for the proper endorsement of her case,” Vega said.

Lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, executive secretary of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said the regional health and social welfare departments will continue to monitor the victim’s condition at the SPMC.

Sinarimbo said it’s up to the National Bureau of Investigation and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to determine if she, supervised by doctors, can now be asked about the attack.

“In the meantime, let’s do what can help accelerate her recovery, if she wants to see Sen. Escudero and Kris Aquino. Let’s see what we can do for her to see them,” he said.

For her part, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima expressed hope that the volunteer nurse would be able to identity her attackers.

De Lima visited her at the SPMC Wednesday night and was impressed by her recovery, describing it as “miraculous” and “amazing,” as she could already talk in longer sentences.

“We are hoping she would identify the suspects,” De Lima said, while urging South Upi Vice Mayor Jordan Ibrahim to submit himself to DNA testing or else be considered as a suspect in the rape case. – With Edith Regalado