Judge OKs regular health checkup on Andal Sr., son

The court on Thursday allowed Andal Ampatuan Sr. and son Rizaldy, both detained for their alleged involvement in the grisly Maguindanao massacre in November 2009, to undergo regular checkups for their various ailments. The order of Judge Jocelyn Solis Reyes of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court branch 221 was based on a June 9 letter from Senior Inspector Bernardino Edgar Camus, warden of the Quezon City Jail, requesting the regular checkup. “The court hereby orders Chief Inspector Agnes Aglipay to conduct a regular check on accused Andal Sr. and Zaldy Ampatuan," Solis-Reyes said before wrapping up Thursday's proceedings inside Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City. Camus' letter was based on the recommendations of two government doctors — Major Nerio Zabala of the Armed Forces the Philippines Medical Center and Dr. Michael Tee of the Philippine General Hospital — who conducted a full medical checkup on the two on May 20. Camus said Zaldy, a suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) governor, is diabetic, while Andal Sr., a former Maguindanao governor, was allegedly suffering from diabetes, hypertension, asthma, osteoarthritis, external hemoroids, and has a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The two were implicated in the massacre of 57 people, including 32 journalists, on Nov. 23, 2009. Among those killed were members of the rival Mangudadatu clan. Regional Assistant State Prosecutor Peter Medalle said they have no problems with the judge's approval. “As long as the check-up is inside [the jail compound], we're okay with it," he said. - Mark D. Merueñas/KBK, GMA News