PNP denies being lax in securing Napoles in hospital

By: Julliane Love De Jesus - 11 years ago

Ospital ng Makati. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NI脩O JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines鈥擳he Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday denied that the policemen it had deployed to secure Janet Lim-Napoles at the Ospital ng Makati (OsMak) were lax and were allowing 鈥渦nauthorized鈥� visitors in her ward.

Chief Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac, PNP Public Information Office chief, told 黑料社 in a phone interview that they had not received any complaint from OsMak related to the security of Napoles, who is still confined at the hospital for vaginal bleeding.

Guarding the alleged pork barrel scam architect at OsMak are personnel from the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB) Calabarzon police regional office.

鈥淚f we received any complaints, we could have acted on them,鈥� Sindac said.

On Monday, Dr. Perry Ishmael Peralta, O鈥巗Mak Medical Director, said in his court testimony that they had received reports that their policies on visiting hours and number of visitors were being violated.

Sindac, however, said that the hospital could have informed those visitors that the patient was already stressed. 鈥淲hy did they not do that?鈥� Sindac said.

Dr. Florentina Villanueva, one of the doctors of Napoles, also said during Monday鈥檚 hearing that the influx of visitors inside Napoles鈥� room might have been stressing her out.

Peralta said the OsMak鈥檚 visiting hours are from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 3 p.m. 鈥巘o 6 p.m. daily, with only two visitors allowed per patient at a time.

But Peralta said the hospital administration had learned that visitors who were not included in the guest list were able to enter Napoles鈥� ward.

Although he clarified that the OsMak is not blaming the PNP for lapses in security, Peralta stressed that it is the PNP鈥檚 duty to enforce policies insofar as the security of Napoles is concerned.