MANILA, Philippines- Tinawag ni Vice President Sara Duterte nitong Linggo ang mga pulis na “dishonest and scheming” matapos maantala ang paglilipat sa kanyang chief of staff na si Zuleika Lopez sa St. Luke’s Medical Center sa Quezon City dahil umano sa mga pulis.
Bago ilipat sa ospital, idinitine si Lopez sa isang custodial room sa House of Representatives matapos ma-cite in contempt sa pagdinig sa umano’y maling paggamit ng confidential funds ng Office of the Vice President (OVP).
Kalaunan ay ipinalipat siya sa Correctional Institution for Women sa Mandaluyong City. Subalit, iginiit ni Duterte na siya ang magsisilbing legal counsel ni Lopez at tinutulan ang paglipat sa kanya sa kulungan.
Sa isang panayam nitong Linggo, sinabi ni Duterte na pumalya ang mga pulis na umasisti sa loob ng House detention center at sa paglilipat kay Lopez kasunod ng panic attack ng huli.
“I don’t understand, I just thought about it earlier when things were getting chaotic in the ambulance, we were repeatedly asking for help inside the detention center. No one was helping us,” wika niya.
Ayon sa Bise Presidente, pumayag ang mga doktor ni Lopez nang magtanong ito ukol sa paggamit ng pribadong sasakyan sa paglilipat dito, at sinabing tutulong siya sakaling walang available na ambulansya.
Subalit, nang dumating ang pribadong sasakyan, biglang lumitaw ang police ambulance, ani Duterte.
“This means they were just nearby, inside the House of Representatives. They did nothing,” giit niya.
“The next of kin and the doctor said, ‘Take her to St. Luke’s Quezon City because she’s always admitted here for all her problems, and her medical records are here.’ Then suddenly, we were all shocked when we ended up at Veterans. Why? Aren’t those two hospitals the same?” tanong ng Bise Presidente.
“Then earlier, they still refused to help. We looked for an ambulance, but there was none. So I said, ‘Let’s just pay for an ambulance and talk to St. Luke’s to see what can be done.’ When the St. Luke’s ambulance arrived, suddenly, a police ambulance showed up,” patuloy niya.
“The police are so dishonest and scheming, doing that to a patient,” aniya.
“It’s truly exasperating. Even the police, you can’t rely on them to help.”
“They’re the ones deciding what should be done with the patient. I said, ‘The doctor is the one who should decide what to do with the patient.’ Because the patient can’t move. She’s hysterical. She’s in pain. She is nauseous,” patuloy niya.
Gayundin, binatikos ni Duterte ang mga pulis sa pagpapadala ng masyadong maraming tauhan upang bantayan ang isang indibidwal, at tinawag itong “waste of manpower” gayung kinontemp lamang naman umano si Lopez ng Kamara.
“Look around. What kind of police are these? SWAT? Look at how many SWAT officers are there. Is Lopez a gangster? A drug lord? She’s just the chief of staff of the Office of the Vice President who, for the record, did not abscond, and is not a fugitive. She attended the hearing and voluntarily submitted to detention to cooperate,” pahayag ni Duterte.
“The police are so dishonest. She (Lopez’s doctor) was so frustrated because she had her patient in mind. And yet, somehow, whoever is giving these orders, they don’t care if you die,” aniya pa. RNT/SA
