Aquino on med records: Bets must balance transparency, right to privacy

President Benigno Simeon Aquino III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC

President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday said presidential candidates will have to balance their right to privacy and the need for public disclosure.

Asked to weigh in on the candidates’ call to each other to bare their medical records, Aquino said the right to privacy still applies to them.

“Siyempre ‘yung una nating ekperiyensiya sa gobyerno, ginawa tayong senior vice chairman ng Human Rights Committee, may right to privacy, nasa Constitution ‘yan,” the President told reporters during an ambush interview in Batangas.

(Of course my first experience in government was when I became senior vice chairman of the Human Rights Committee, there is what we call right to privacy. That’s in the Constitution.)

He said it would be better if the candidates would volunteer the information.

“So baka naman maganda kusa nila gawin pero ‘yung pipilitin natin siyempre may karapatan rin silang pantao na hindi natin pwedeng i-insist,” Aquino said.

However, he added, “Ngayon, kung sabi ng taumbayan ‘gusto naming malaman ang kalusugan mo,’ siguro may karapatan naman talaga ang taumbayan dahil mabigat itong trabahong ito.”

(Maybe it is better if they do it voluntarily because if we force them, they also have human rights and we cannot insist. Now, if the people say that they want to know the state of your health, perhaps the people also have the right because the presidency is a tough job.)

Aquino said the country is a “democratic state” and that the candidates should give in to the request of the people to know if they are fit for the position.

Last week, Vice President Jejomar Binay challenged Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to bare his medical records. Duterte said he will accept the challenge as long as Binay will also subject himself to a checkup.

READ: Binay urges Duterte to reveal secret illness

During the interview, he urged the public to scrutinize the principles of those running for public office. RAM

READ: Duterte accepts Binay medical checkup challenge