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THE PATIENT involved in the ?Black Suede Scandal? has said through his lawyer that he would prefer the probe into the case to be handled by the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas instead of the Department of Health (DOH).
Guiller Ceniza, lawyer of patient Danilo (real name withheld), said the DOH may be trying to ?exonerate? some of those involved in the operation, citing that the Ombudsman implicated more than 10 medical personnel from the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), but the DOH only slapped preventive suspensions on two doctors and one nurse.
Ceniza said that the superiors of the suspended staff were also capable of destroying evidence or influencing the investigation, but they were not included in the suspension.
Ceniza also said that the Ombudsman was quicker to look into the incident compared to the DOH.
Ceniza said that after they informally asked the Ombudsman to take over the investigation, Assistant Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Virginia Santiago called for a conference among graft investigators, Danilo, and the DOH.
?After this conference, we will file a formal motion with the Ombudsman to order the DOH to turn over all documents and records relative to the administrative investigation,? Ceniza said.
Health Undersecretary Alexander Padilla said he would not mind if the Ombudsman conducted its own investigation into the scandal, but the DOH would still continue its investigation unless ordered otherwise.
?If the Ombudsman tells us that they will conduct the administrative investigation and for us to let go, then we will let go,? Padilla said.
He said that ideally, the DOH should handle the administrative aspect, otherwise it may give the public the impression that the agency was not doing anything.
He said that both the Ombudsman and the DOH have jurisdiction over the matter.
Since January, various videos have spread over the Internet and through cellular phones of an operation showing a Black Suede body spray canister being removed from a patient?s rectum.
Danilo has since claimed that he was the patient, and has filed complaints against the VSMMC, where the operation was conducted, for the spread of the videos and for the behavior of the staff as shown in the videos.
