Military doctor of Andal Sr. told to stop giving daily bulletins

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – A lady military doctor has been ordered to stop giving daily bulletins on the medical condition of former Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr., one of the principal suspects in the Nov. 23 massacre of 57 people in the province.

After telling the media that Ampatuan is medically fit to be released from hospital and transferred to a detention facility shortly before Christmas, Capt. Roda Franco has made herself scarce.

Franco is a resident physician at the Armed Forces Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) hospital in Camp Panacan where Ampatuan is detained.

Ampatuan was brought to the hospital following his arrest last December after complaining of chest pains and high blood pressure.

The former governor was initially brought to the Davao Doctors Hospital but was later transferred to the Eastmincom headquarters for security reasons.

Sources revealed the gag order on Franco came after she was quoted as saying the Ampatuan patriarch has already recovered.

Franco has been giving daily medical updates on Ampatuan’s condition, but she was ordered to lie low, sources said.

The military leadership, according to sources, had been unhappy with Franco’s candor with the media, and decided to order her to shut up so as not to compromise Ampatuan’s security.

The problem arose as public criticism mounted against Ampatuan’s continued stay at the Eastmincom hospital even as Franco and other doctors have already declared the former governor fit for discharge.

Authorities are still scouting where to detain the elder Ampatuan considering the huge security requirement.

Troops at Camp Panacan have also started complaining about the risk of keeping Ampatuan at the Eastmincom hospital.

The elder Ampatuan is the only one who has not been committed to a jail facility since three of his sons – Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan, Shariff Aguak Mayor Anwar Ampatuan and acting Maguindanao Gov. Sajid Ampatuan – had been detained separately at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) headquarters in Camp Fermin Lira in General Santos City.

His other son and namesake, Datu Unsay mayor Andal Jr., is the only suspect indicted in the attack so far, has been charged with 40 counts of murder.

He is detained at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) main office in Manila since his arrest three days after the carnage took place.  – With John Unson, Nonong Baliao