EDITORIAL - Time to go to court

Now that the Cebu Puericulture Center and Maternity House has virtually turned the tables on the couple whose newborn baby's mouth was shut up with adhesive tape, the only option left for the couple to get to the bottom of the incident is to bring the matter to court.

To recall, the parents of the baby posted photographs of the infant on the Internet with the allegation that one of the nurses at the maternity taped the lips of the baby shut to stop it from incessant crying. The post went viral and the issue triggered wide media interest. Concerned agencies stepped in.

But after days of being inaccessible, the maternity came up with the result of what it said was its own investigation. And the result was that none of its nurses and midwives taped the baby's mouth shut. The result became the laughing stock in town, the joke being that either the parents or the baby itself did the taping.

Since the maternity has made it very clear that it is in no position to own responsibility for the incident, the parents are left with no other choice but to go to court, that is if they truly want justice for the abuse suffered by their own baby.

If the parents rely on the other so-called investigations, there is no guarantee the truth will ever come out. They have to remember that these investigations cannot compel the maternity to change its position. Even a Senate investigation cannot do that. Remember how it failed miserably with Janet Napoles?

At least, if they go to court, they can avail of witnesses who can be compelled, under pain of perjury, to tell everything they know. Along this line, the parents, with the help of their lawyers, as well as other parties with a stake in the truth, can summon witnesses who can paint a picture of maternity operations.

For instance, there could be former patients dissatisfied with its service. Or since the maternity is a common stop for students taking up nursing courses, it should be easy for the parents and their lawyers to find some willing former interns who can recall how the maternity's nurses and midwives go about their duties.

These witnesses can provide interesting insights as to whether the maternity's nurses and midwives truly act with a high degree of professionalism and are imbued with a high sense of commitment to care and serve patients with love, compassion and understanding.

Why, even how the maternity's nurses and midwives treat and interact with students and interns can be a helpful tool in ascertaining whether they are capable or not of doing anything remotely similar to taping shut the mouth of a baby.