Court grants hospital admission of ailing Iloilo detainee

Court gavel. INQUIRER.net stock photo

ILOILO CITY — A trial court judge has allowed the hospital admission of an elderly and sick detainee who government troopers said was a ranking officer of the communist group.

Judge Rommel Leonor of the Regional Trial Court in Mambusao town, Capiz, in an order released on Thursday, Dec. 12, granted the plea of Tomas Dominado to stay at the hospital while getting treatment for unstable blood pressure and difficulty in breathing.

Dominado, 74, allegedly the secretary of the Komiteng Rehiyon-Panay of the New People’s Army, was admitted to the West Visayas State University Medical Center (WVSUMC) in Jaro, Iloilo on Thursday.

The court ordered the warden of the Iloilo District Jail to provide sufficient security to Dominado while he was in the hospital.

In allowing Dominado’s confinement in the hospital, the court noted the accused’s multiple health concerns and the observation of the doctors who examined him.

READ: Groups seek release of ailing Iloilo detainee

According to his daughter May Wan, Dominado was first brought to the provincial hospital of Pototan town but since it had limited laboratory tests, her father was transferred to the WVSUMC.

Dominado was arrested by authorities by virtue of court-issued arrest warrants in a subdivision in Barangay San Jose, Arevalo, Iloilo City on Dec. 5, 2024.

He was accused of having a hand in the deaths of two civilians–Ruben Cabunagan and Arturo Tagudinay in Tubungan, Iloilo in 2007–as well as the attempted murder of Jodie Mordice of Miagao, Iloilo in the same year.

The accused is currently bedridden and relies on an aide to move around.

The Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO), in a statement on Dec. 10, denied allegations that they “delayed and denied” medical care to Dominado.

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The police said they brought Dominado to the Western Visayas Medical Center in Mandurriao, Iloilo following his arrest to make sure he was medically sound to be in jail.

“ICPO assures the public that all police operations are conducted in strict compliance with established protocols, respecting the rule of law, and ensuring necessary humanitarian assistance to individuals in custody,” said Col. Kim Legada, ICPO chief.

Dominado’s daughters May Wan and Tamara claimed that authorities are intentionally delaying their father’s medical treatment.

In a social media post, Tamara said their father has underlying medical conditions that prevents him from breathing properly.

Dominado, she said, was a stroke survivor and has a history of other diseases such as hypertension, heart enlargement, and neurological deficits.