Medialdea discharged from hospital, recovering from heart procedure

MANILA, Philippines — Former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea was discharged from a hospital in The Hague, Netherlands after his admission earlier this week, according to Senator Christopher “Bong”  Go. 

Go bared the development on social media on Saturday, saying that Medialdea underwent a heart procedure and needs to recover for six weeks in the Netherlands. 

“[N]akalabas na ng ospital si dating Executive Secretary Salvador “Bingbong” Medialdea na ilang araw ring na-confine sa hospital sa The Hague, Netherlands,” the senator said.

(Former Executive Secretary Salvador “Bingbong” Medialdea has been released from the hospital after being confined for several days in a hospital in The Hague, Netherlands.)

“Successful ang naging medical heart procedure na ginawa kay Atty. Medialdea, ngunit kailangan muna niyang manatili doon ng anim na linggo dahil hindi pa siya pwedeng bumyahe. Nagpapasalamat rin siya sa mga kababayan nating nagdasal at patuloy na nagdarasal para sa kalusugan ni Atty. Medialdea,” he added. 

(The heart procedure performed on Atty. Medialdea was successful, but he will have to stay there for six weeks because he is not yet allowed to travel.)

Medialdea accompanied former President Rodrigo Duterte to the Hague last March 11.

Duterte, upon arrival from Hongkong at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, was served an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged crimes against humanity during his administration’s drug war. 

The former chief executive attended his pre-trial hearing at The Hague via video call last March 14.

Based on reports, Duterte’s war on drugs left at least 6,000 people dead; however, human rights groups reported that the number may have reached 20,000.