Daughter blames Laguna quarantine facility for mom's death from COVID-19

The daughter of a 60-year-old woman who died due to COVID-19 blamed a Rizal, Laguna quarantine facility for her mother's death claiming they had been neglected at the facility.

According to Katrina Son's report on "24 Oras" on Monday, Ann Tawatao said they were isolated in the facility since June 17 after testing positive for COVID-19.

When her mother's oxygen level dropped to 60 percent, Tawatao said there no one came to their aid. She said she had to yell through the window just so someone would help them.

She said a nurse eventually came and gave her mother an oxygen tank.

On Sunday, she received a message, saying her mother would be transferred to a hospital in San Pablo, though at the time her mother's oxygen level had risen to 88 percent.

When the ambulance came, she said there were no nurses or medics available, nor was there a wheelchair or stretcher.

They were quarantined on the second floor of the facility, and her mother had to be helped down to the ambulance.

But after a few minutes, she was informed her mother was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

"Wala na po 'yong mama ko. Pinabayaan nila dito. Hindi niyo kami inaasikaso. Pinwersa niyo kaming pumunta dito. Para ano? Para mamatay?" Tawatao said in her Facebook Live post.

"Kinulong niyo kami dito tapos mamamatay lang kami. Napakawala niyong puso," she added.

Meanwhile, according to the municipal health officer, patients do not always need to be accompanied by a nurse or medic in an ambulance if they are stable.

Patients are also not advised to be stretchered due to the narrow spaces in the quarantine facility.

The municipal health officer added they had attempted to coordinate the mother's transfer with the Tawatao family, but they had not responded.

Meanwhile, the Rizal local government said the case was an isolated one.

"Kaya nga sila kinukuha para separate sila doon sa mga pamilya nila para wala nang malapitan, 'di ba? Tapos nagtatago eh, 'di 'yan ang nangyari tapos sa amin isisisi. Ako raw 'yong mamamatay tao, 'di ba mali naman 'yon?" Rizal, Laguna Mayor Vener Munoz said.

(This is why they were brought to the facility, to separate them from their relatives and are quarantined. But they hid from us, and this happened. Now they're blaming us, calling me a killer. That's not right.)

Munoz also claimed that the Tawatao hid when they found out they were positive for the virus.

Tawatao denied the mayor's allegation. — Ma. Angelica Garcia/DVM, GMA News