Special committee to probe incident

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Council is creating a special committee to investigate the explosion of a lamp in the pediatric ward of the Cebu City Medical Center causing three infants to suffer burns.

“I told (Councilor) Margot (Osmeña) to investigate,” Cebu City Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young said yesterday.

Young, who is now in Davao City for the convention of the Vice Mayor’s League of the Philippines, said the city council has the responsibility to look into the matter so that legislative intervention will be addressed at the city-run hospital. 

The incident happened last Sunday morning but it was only Thursday morning when Mayor Michael Rama visited the hospital and ordered for the immediate transfer of the three babies to the Chong Hua Hospital.

“The council wants to know the details. We are now asking the full report from the CCMC,” Young said, adding that the mayor might have failed to visit the hospital after the incident as he was busy with the activities of the 74th Charter Day.

Of the three infants, 19-day-old Baby Boy Villarico was seriously injured and suffered third-degree burns.

Two other infants, Baby Boy Ibanez and Baby Girl Maglasang, who also suffered burn injuries are now out of danger.

Councilor Margot Osmeña said she is still waiting for the report from CCMC director Eduardo Sedoripa. As of now, she said her office has not yet received any communications from the hospital.

Councilor Edgardo Labella said he will sponsor the passage of the resolution for an investigation to shed light on the issue.

Labella, chairman of the committee on laws and good governance, said he wants also to know who was at fault and if there is probable cause to charge the hospital administrator for their negligence.

Labella, a lawyer by profession, wants to look into the reports that the parents of the babies were asked to sign a waiver.

 Rep. Rachel “Cutie” del Mar said her office will be assisting the family especially in the medical aspects, which is part of her health program.

Separately, Sedoripa admitted that they asked the parents of the babies to sign a document but it was not a waiver. He said that it was a document where they agreed that what happened was purely an accident.

Sedoripa, further stated that it does not mean that signing of the document will prevent the families of the babies from seeking legal action. (FREEMAN)