MANILA, Philippines—Doctors at the National Bureau of Investigation conducted Friday morning a medical examination on detained Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr.
Dr. Ronald Baluyot, assisted by nurse Babes Garcia, was accompanied by NBI medico-legal division chief and lawyer Florencio Arezala to Ampatuan’s holding cell, which he shares with some 17 other inmates of the NBI jail, at around 11a.m.
“It is just a regular medical examination. We will assess if there is a need for his transfer to a medical facility,” Arezala told reporters, adding that what the doctors would be examining are Ampatuan’s blood pressure, lungs, heart, and physical condition.
“It is just standard but so far, he looks healthy … Although he has a history of asthma, it is not manifesting,” the medico-legal chief pointed out, stressing that the detainee expressed no complaint over his detention at the NBI Jail.
“The holding cell is well-ventilated,” he explained.
Ampatuan’s medical examination inside the detention facility veered away from the original plan of bringing the mayor to the NBI clinic.
“For security reasons, he was not brought to the medical clinic,” NBI director Nestor Mantaring, who personally inspected the jail along with NBI Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) chief Ric Diaz and Arezala, said.
“He is considered a high risk prisoner … He is a suspect in a mass murder and the case was already filed against him before the prosecutor’s office. The situation is slightly sensitive,” Mantaring told reporters, denying that there is a threat on Ampatuan’s life.
The NBI director further belied reports on the presence of heavily armed men from Mindanao aboard a sports utility vehicle, accosted Thursday night inside the compound.
“There is nothing like that which happened last night. I was here until 9:30 p.m. and I did not hear anything like that. Maybe what the media saw carrying long firearms were our NBI agents,” he explained.
Asked by the Inquirer if the NBI was looking into Thursday night’s incident where two policemen assigned with the Police Regional Office of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao were forced to turn over their .9 mm service pistols at the NBI gate, Mantaring assured that they will investigate the matter.
A source from the NBI identified the two policemen as Senior Inspector Musa Umpan and PO1 Samir Ampatuan Emblawa. When asked, Umpan said that they had been ordered by the Maguindanao provincial administrator to “provide security.” He did not, however, say to whom.
On the other hand, passengers of a sports utility vehicle who accompanied Ampatuan lawyer Reden Villanueva to the NBI was escorted out of the compound by mobile patrol units of the Manila Police District when they refused to turn over their firearms.
An NBI source, who requested anonymity, said the passengers had initially reasoned out that the firearms were harmless as long as they were kept inside the SUV. The group was told they could either leave or turn over their guns. “The group opted to leave (rather) than turn over their firearms,” the source said.
Visiting hours at the NBI jail was limited to 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Mantaring revealed and he assured that the only people allowed to see Ampatuan are his lawyers and relatives, particularly those he allows to drop by.
“We will not allow those people he does not want to see to visit him,” the NBI director stressed.
He nevertheless emphasized that Ampatuan is being held in a “regular” cell with some 17 other inmates accused of various crimes. As for the length of his stay, Mantaring said that it depends on the justice department.
“As long as the Department of Justice orders us to detain him here, he will remain here,” the NBI director pointed out, adding that security inside the compound has been beefed up and further tightened around the high risk prisoner.
