Zaldy Ampatuan rushed to hospital — BJMP

MANILA, Philippines – Former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao governor Zaldy Ampatuan, one of the prime suspects in the Maguindano massacre, was rushed to the hospital due to a heart ailment, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) confirmed yesterday.

Ampatuan was brought to the Taguig-Pateros District Hospital on Monday afternoon after he suffered cardio vascular infarction secondary to cardiac dysrhythmia, commonly known as irregular heartbeat, according to BJMP spokesman Maj. Xavier Solda.

Ampatuan was transferred to the Makati Medical Center, where he was confined in the intensive care unit, supposedly due to the lack of facilities in the public  hospital, which is near his detention cell at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.

 “As per last medical bulletin released by his doctors, he is in stable condition,” Solda said in a message to The STAR.

He assured the public that no special treatment was given to the massacre suspect.

“He was not given special treatment, but only medical attention based on the recommendation of the doctors, considering his medical condition,” Solda said.

During the course of the decade-long trial, Ampatuan has had a history of medical emergencies, having been rushed to different hospitals because of his heart ailment.

On Oct. 16, Ampatuan was brought to the Taguig-Pateros District Hospital for his regular medical checkup, with the doctors prescribing him various medicines for his illness.

He was allowed by the court to undergo a follow-up checkup in the same hospital tomorrow. It is unclear if this will still push through as he remains confined at the Makati Medical Center.

Earlier this year, Ampatuan was also allowed to undergo a medical examination at the Philippine General Hospital.

Ampatuan is among the 197 suspects tagged in the Nov. 23, 2009 Maguindanao bloodbath.

Fifty-eight people, including 32 media workers, were killed in the massacre allegedly orchestrated by the Ampatuans.