Palace execs pressuring hospital to discharge Jason, mom says

The mother of murder suspect Jason Ivler on Thursday threatened to file a case against the Quirino Medical Memorial Center if it would discharge her son prematurely due to alleged pressures from Malacañang officials. In a report on QTV's Balitanghali, Marlene Aguilar said the officials, whom she did not name, wanted Ivler discharged so that he could be detained at the Quezon City Jail. "He (Ivler) is infected, he has open wounds, he cannot sit up on his own. What are they gonna do? Are they gonna bring the bed to court," Aguilar told GMA News' Joseph Morong in an interview.

Doctors at the QMMC, however, denied being pressured by the government. "Wala po akong alam na pressure. Wala ngang kumo-contact sa akin. We are not sending Jason to jail. We were asked by the court for our medical statement, that's exactly what we did," said QMMC head surgeon Fernando Lopez, who is also Ivler's attending physician. Ivler is facing murder charges for the shooting of Renato Ebarle Jr. on Nov. 18, 2009. Ebarle was the son of Malacañang Undersecretary Renato Ebarle Sr., the presidential chief of staff. Ivler also figured in a vehicular accident in August 2004, where a Malacañang official, Undersecretary Nestor Ponce Jr., was killed. He was slapped with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide charges over Ponce's killing. Ivler, however, did not show up in court hearings, so the government labeled him as a "fugitive." When Ivler was arrested on Jan. 18, 2010, he engaged National Bureau of Investigation agents in a shootout, where two law enforcers were injured. Ivler was then charged with direct assault with attempted and frustrate murder. He would be arraigned for the direct assualt charges at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 76 on Feb. 16, 2010. If Ivler's health condition improves, he would be discharged from the hospital and detained at the Quezon City Jail. - Sophia Dedace/RSJ, RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV