Palace denies Duterte not given medical care

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro on Wednesday denied that former president Rodrigo Duterte was not given the medical attention that he needed following his arrest over charges of crimes against humanity.

At a press conference, Castro said that Duterte was treated as a former chief executive and a Filipino citizen.

''Hindi po iyan totoo dahil noong panahon po na siya po ay nasa kustodiya na po, talaga po ang pagtrato sa kaniya ay hindi po lamang basta-basta. Trinato pa rin po siya bilang Pilipino at bilang former president. Kumpleto po ang kasamahan po doon, may mga doktor po, may mga nurse,'' Castro said.

(That's not true because during the time that he was in custody, he was treated well. He was treated as a Filipino and former president. His companions were complete. There was a doctor and a nurse.)

''Nandoon din po ang kaniyang mga abogado. So, wala pong katotohanan na hindi po nabigyan siya ng tamang atensyon especially patungkol sa medical needs na kailangan po niya,'' she added.

(His lawyers were also there. So, it's not true that he was not given attention for his medical needs.) 

GMA News Online has asked Salvador Panelo, who served as spokesperson and chief presidential legal counsel during the Duterte administration, for a reaction to the Palace's statements.

Veronica ''Kitty'' Duterte, the former president's daughter, claimed that authorities were not allowing her father to get the medical attention he needs after being arrested.

Kitty shared a photo of her father’s medical certificate signed by a physician, indicating that the 79-year-old former president consulted for follow-up care for diabetes management, following his arrest.

On Wednesday morning, Kitty said that her father was only served a sandwich during the flight to Dubai.

“A flight lasting more than 8 hours but left with just a sandwich to eat?” Kitty wrote on her Instagram story with a screenshot of her video call with her father.

Castro vowed to verify whether the former president was just given a sandwich.

She also said that the elder Duterte was in good condition, adding that his preferred nurse, lawyer, and security were with him.

Senator Bong Go, a longtime aide of the former president, on Tuesday brought an ambulance that was intended to transport Duterte to the hospital upon his arrival at NAIA Terminal 3.

According to Go, the former leader was set to be admitted to a hospital on Wednesday, but authorities prevented him from seeing Duterte. 

“As of 3 p.m. today (Tuesday), his glucose level shot up and he was again advised admission by his doctor to avoid acute diabetes complication,” Go had said.

On late Tuesday night, Marcos announced that his predecessor was being brought to The Hague in the Netherlands to face charges in connection with the killings in the past administration's war on drugs.

He insisted that Duterte's arrest was proper, saying that ''Interpol asked us to do it and we have commitments.”

Marcos also denied that the arrest of Duterte was a violation of Philippine sovereignty. —KG/VBL, GMA Integrated News