NAGKAKALAT SI KULAS KAUFMAN

NAHIHIRAPAN si Kulas Kaufman, ang dayuhang manananggol ni Gongdi sa International Criminal Court (ICC). Nagkakalat si Atty Kulas. Opinyon ni Mel Sta Maria, dekano ng batas:

“Duterte’s lawyer certainly appeared confident and ready. He tried to argue that because there’s no signed ‘killing order’ and because the word ‘neutralization’ supposedly doesn’t mean to kill, the prosecution has no case. He went on to claim the Davao Death Squad is a myth and that targeting a specific ‘sub-group’ like drugusers doesn’t count as an attack on a civilian population.

“It was a performance blaming the witnesses for being criminals, dismissing Duterte’s own violent rhetoric as ‘culture,’ and framing the whole thing as a political hit-job by the current administration. But where is the beef? A mountain of prosecution evidence ( videos, news-accounts, written testimonies, NGO and government records) requires a counter-mountain of defense evidence for rebuttal. Arguments are not evidence.

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MAY reklamo si Ricardo Samaniego sa National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI) tungkol sa trato sa kanyang asawa na kasalukuyang pasyente sa NKTI. Ito ng kanyang liham sa NKTI na ipinadala noong ika-20 ng Pebrero.

Dr. Ralph Montepio
Nephrologist and Lead Physician
for NKTI Patient Maria Teresa P. Samaniego

Subject: Continuity of Care, Professionality, Accountability, Patient Rights, and Request for Immediate Dialogue

Dear Dr. Montepio,

This refers to your letter dated Febr. 9, 2026, informing us of your decision to sign out as Lead Physician of my wife, Maria Teresa P. Samaniego, who has been under your care for nearly six (6) months. You also stated that you have separately informed the Deputy Executive Director regarding your decision.

At the outset, we sincerely acknowledge and appreciate the prompt and life-saving treatment rendered to my wife during the first three (3) hours of her adrwsmission at the Emergency Room for Uremia, as well as the professional care extended by the specialists under your team. However, it is also undeniable that the injuries sustained by my wife occurred during her confinement under your supervision, which indicate serious lapses and shortcomings on the part of certain healthcare personnel responsible for her care. These matters remain of grave concern to our family.

We respectfully but firmly express serious concern regarding your decision to sign out at this critical stage of my wife’s medical condition without personal communication, proper turnover, and clear assurance of continuity of care. As you are fully aware, my wife remains in a fragile condition requiring intensive and sustained medical management, including twice-daily wound care, twice-daily physical therapy and rehabilitation, dialysis three (3) times per week, and occasional weekly blood transfusions.

The directive for her abrupt discharge has caused her physical weakness, emotional distress, sleeplessness, anxiety, and mental anguish. Since the announcement of such directive, you have not personally visited or spoken with us. We were likewise informed that several members of your medical team expressed reservations regarding the discharge order but felt constrained to comply with higher directives, a copy of which was never furnished to us.

For the record, I have repeatedly and verbally informed the concerned officers that our request for a formal dialogue with the Hospital Director is not only for the best interest, safety, and welfare of my wife, but also for the protection and welfare of other patients who may encounter similar circumstances. Regrettably, despite repeated requests since last year, no such dialogue has been arranged.

In this regard, we respectfully invoke the following legal and administrative principles:

– The Patient’s Bill of Rights under the Department of Health, guaranteeing the right to adequate and continuous medical care, proper information, participation in treatment decisions, and protection from neglect and harm;

– Applicable policies and standards of the Department of Health (DOH) on patient safety, humane treatment, and hospital accountability;

– The Code of Ethics of the Philippine Medical Association, requiring physicians to uphold professional responsibility, continuity of care, and patient welfare above all; and

– Civil Service rules on accountability, duty of care, and responsibility of public health officials and personnel.

We respectfully submit that disengaging as Lead Physician without proper transition, without ensuring continuity of care, and without personally addressing the patient and family is inconsistent with the foregoing standards of professional and public service responsibility.

Our family has faithfully complied with all hospital financial obligations. As of year-end 2025, our hospital accounts were fully settled, and we maintain an excess deposit of Three Hundred Thousand Pesos (Php 300,000.00) through the Guarantee Letter extended with the assistance of Hon. Senator Juan Miguel “Migs” Zubiri, which remains in the custody of the hospital. In light of these, it is deeply distressing for us to be left in uncertainty at this critical stage of my wife’s treatment.

In view of the foregoing, we respectfully and formally request:

1. Immediate assurance of uninterrupted and continuous medical care for my wife;

2. Proper medical turnover, documentation, and accountability concerning her present condition and prior incidents;

3. An urgent and formal dialogue with the Hospital Director to resolve this matter in the interest of patient safety, fairness, and humane medical care; and

4. A written response to this letter within five (5) working days from receipt.