Court approves Zaldy Ampatuan’s transfer to Philippine Heart Center

MANILA, Philippines — A Quezon City court on Thursday granted the request of Datu “Zaldy” Unsay Ampatuan, one of the accused in the Maguindanao massacre, to be transferred to the Philippine Heart Center (PHC).

The court order released by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 stated that Ampatuan requested to be transferred to PHC from the Taguig-Pateros District Hospital after he was diagnosed with “congestive heart failure.”

“[Ampatuan] prays that he be allowed to transfer to Philippine Heart Center from Taguig-Pateros District Hospital to undergo all other necessary medical and laboratory examinations, other procedures deemed necessary, and general recuperation because the [PHC] not only has a complete set of equipment for tests, but it also has the records of his confinement in the past years,” the court said.

In previous hearings, the prosecution opposed the request to transfer Ampatuan to PHC because the “ailment of the accused is within the clinical competence and level of management and treatment by the Taguig-Pateros District Hospital.”

The prosecution, however, set several conditions for Ampatuan’s transfer.

It should be in accordance with Bureau of Jail Management and Penology rules and regulation, and tight security in Ampatuan’s transfer from PHC to his detention cell afterward should also be observed.

Ampatuan also requested to be transferred to St. Luke’s Medical Center in Global City if he cannot move to PHC. The prosecution, however, opposed this saying that Ampatuan should be confined in a government hospital.

“The court deems it proper to grant the relief being prayed for in the Motion that [Ampatuan] be transferred to the Philippine Heart Center where he has his medical records,” the court said. (Editor: Eden Estopace)