Hearing suspended after witness had "asthma attack"

CEBU, Philippines - Regional Trial Court Branch 6 Presiding Judge Ester Veloso suspended the hearing on the motion to bail filed by Bella Ruby Santos after the prosecution witness suffered difficulty in breathing due to asthma.

Santos, accused for the kidnap-slay of six-year-old Ellah Joy Pique, earlier filed a motion to bail for her temporary liberty even if she is facing a non-bailable offense.

Prosecution lawyer Inocencio dela Cerna moved for the cancellation of hearing after witness Richard Ian Bruce Bansuan suffered difficulty in breathing after 30 minutes on the witness stand during direct examination.

Bansuan was pale and sweating while he kept on wiping his face with his face towel and kept on sniffing the inhaler that he was bringing.

Dela Cerna, in an interview, said he moved for the cancellation of hearing for the safety of their witness “he is our vital witness; I don’t want that something bad will happen to him…he suffered asthma and there’s a need for immediate medication.”

Renante Pique, father of the victim corroborated the statement of dela Cerna. He said Bansuan was indeed asthmatic and that in fact, during the gathering of facts, they found Bansuan confined in a hospital in Barili.

However, the defense counsels objected the claim of the prosecution.Defense counsel Rameses Villagonzalo claimed it was just “drama.”

“Based on our observation it’s not an asthma…he just acting,” he said.

Lawyer Julius Caesar Entise said that as a nurse by profession, he found no symptoms that Bansuan suffered asthma and it was due to nervousness.

“As I can say being a nurse…sorry but it is not asthma, there’s no wheezing manifestation… it’s obvious that he is very, very nervous,” he said.

Dela Cerna countered that everybody knows Bansuan’s testimony was from the heart. Pique refused to comment on the statement of the defense saying it was their opinion.

According to the PubMed Health website, asthma is a disorder that causes the airways of the lungs to swell and narrow, leading to wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and coughing.

In sensitive people, asthma symptoms can be triggered by dust, changes in weather (most often cold weather), chemicals in the air or food, animals (pet hair), exercise, mold, pollen, respiratory infection, such as in common cold, strong emotions (stress) and tobacco smoke.

Testimony

In his testimony, Bansuan said that on February 8, 2011, he was with Ligaya Escultos and they attended their friend’s birthday party at the Tilapyahan, a fishing pond at Mantayupan, Barili from 8:30 a.m. to 11:45 p.m.

While traversing Barangay Sayaw, Barili going to Dumanjug onboard a motorcycle, Bansuan said he saw a sports utility vehicle (SUV). He slowed down as they saw a foreigner who was standing behind the vehicle. He said he saw the face of the foreigner and added that the foreigner had a companion who was in the front seat.

Santos and her boyfriend Ian Charles Griffiths were charged for kidnapping with homicide for the death of Ellah Joy Pique who was abducted while she was on her way home from Calajo-an School. Pique was found the following day at a ravine in Barangay Sayaw, Barili.

The hearing for the continuation of Bansuan’s direct examination will resume on June 11, 2012. (FREEMAN)