This doctor was in when tragedy struck Batasan

Congresswoman Janette Garin (Iloilo, 1st district) was already preparing to go home Tuesday night when she suddenly heard a loud explosion and felt the House of Representatives plenary hall vibrate. The 34-year-old lawmaker, together with other congressmen, immediately went out of the hall to see what happened but House security personnel asked them to stay inside. Garin could have stay put at the plenary hall with the other lawmakers for her own security. Being a medical doctor that she is, however, Garin could not bear to stay as a bystander as wounded victims scampered on the hallway. "I saw others with blood on their bodies running at the corridors. I asked permission if I could go at the back. There's a small clinic near the main entrance where the patients were taken," she told GMANews.TV in Filipino. Garin (second term, Lakas) is a medical doctor trained in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She had her residency, training and internship at Iloilo Doctor’s Hospital. She lost count of the number of people she treated that Tuesday night. At least 11 people were wounded in the incident, while Basilan Rep. Wahab Akbar and three others were killed. One victim who stuck to Garin's mind was a man, who despite suffering severe injuries, still kept on asking her to help his boss. "I can't remember, I attended to and spoke with many victims. Badly hit was Timar, I just can't recall his surname because he kept saying, 'please help Congressman Akbar, he's still there, he's still there,'" Garin said. It was only later that she found out the man was Timar Kindanan, Akbar's aide. Garin helped Kindanan to be transferred to Capitol Medical Center. Akbar died after sustaining injuries from the explosion. The police believed he was the target of the bombing. He was laid to rest in Isabela City in Basilan on Wednesday afternoon. Garin said it was a good thing that a certain Dr So from the Department of Health, who attended a hearing, was still in the Batasan Complex when the blast occurred and helped her treat the victims. Representatives Juan Edgardo Angara (Aurora), Joel Villanueva (Cibac) and Darlene Antonino-Custodio (South Cotabato) also came to the aid of the victims at the Batasan Pambansa south hall. "It was quite chaotic at first, but people eventually started to help," she said. She added that one of their biggest concerns during that time was how to transport the victims. "We were looking for an ambulance because the vehicles were still inside a distant parking lot. I used the car of Congressman Angara [to bring victims to the hospital]," she said. Severely burned When she arrived at Malvar Hospital along Commonwealth Avenue, Garin saw a woman who suffered burns to her face and body. The woman was later identified as Maan Gale Bustaliño. "She did not have a bag, she was not clothed," the Iloilo congresswoman said. Garin said they decided to transfer the woman because the Malvar Hospital does not have an intensive care unit. "We had a hard time securing an ambulance because most of these went straight to the Batasan, not the hospitals where some victims were already taken," she said. Garin said she and other doctors initially wanted to bring Bustaliño to the St. Luke's Medical Center, but opted to go to Capitol Medical Center instead after the victim had a cardiac arrest while on their way to the hospital. Bustaliño died while being brought to the hospital. She was a staff member of Negros Oriental Rep. Pryde Henry Teves, who was also injured in the incident. She was also a law student at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. The Dipolog-born Bustaliño was in her early thirties. Medical nightmare Garin said the Batasan incident was the "worst experience" she ever had as a medical doctor. "Their burnt skin got peeled as I performed CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) with my palms," she said. Garin believed she and the doctors who treated the victims did everything but the injuries sustained were really severe. "Because of the extent of their injuries, even with the help of a helicopter, we couldn't guarantee that their infections would not spread all over their bodies," she said. She added: "With burn wounds, infections spread very fast. When the whole body is burned, fluids come out very fast so victims become dehydrated." The lawmaker said the House of Representatives should review its security measures and find out who were responsible for the bombing. Garin said that even with her stint in Congress, she never stopped her medical practice. "Because of the work load here in Congress, I am compelled to attend to patients every other week. Especially now, instead of giving regular clinics, I go around the barangays (villages)," she said. With this experience, she realized that despite her entry to the politics, "once a doctor, you remain a doctor for life." - GMANews.TV