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MANILA – Five months after Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III’s alleged breach of quarantine, the Department of Justice (DOJ) reopened its investigation after receiving additional documents from the National Investigations Bureau (NBI).
In an order issued Wednesday, Assistant State Attorney Wendell Bendoval said he received on Sept. 4 a copy of the NBI memo dated Aug. 24 that includes incident reports from the Makati Medical Center regarding the incident on Sept. 24. March in which Pimentel accompanied his pregnant wife to the hospital despite being tested for COVID-19 on March 20.
Pimentel said he was informed that he tested positive for the coronavirus while in the hospital and left immediately.
In April, attorney Rico Quicho filed with the DOJ a complaint for violation of the Republic Law 11332 or the Law of Mandatory Notification of Reportable Diseases and Health Events of Concern for Public Health and 3 issues of the Department of Health (DOH ) before the DOJ.
RA 11332 sanctions the lack of cooperation of people with notifiable diseases or persons or entities that must report on notifiable diseases.
On July 24, Attorney General Benedicto Malcontento said that the complaint had been submitted for resolution.
But Bendoval said it is necessary to reopen the preliminary investigation “in line with the policy of admitting all evidence that could aid in the judicious resolution of the complaints.”
No details were provided on the content of the incident reports.
But Pimentel’s visit to the hospital prompted a strong statement from Dr. Saturnino Javier, MakatiMed’s medical director, who called his actions “irresponsible and reckless.”
DOH also confirmed that Pimentel broke quarantine protocols.
The senator has apologized for his actions. In his defense, he said that he did not violate any quarantine protocols because he was not a person under investigation at the time he visited MakatiMed, but was only a VIP who underwent tests.
In response to news of the reopening of the investigation, Quicho on Facebook thanked MakatiMed “for their courage to uncover the truth.”
“VIP Koko there is no way out of this mess but to be a man. DOJ, your move, ”he said.
“People deserve to know the truth now. Justice delayed is justice denied, ”he added.
Quicho had long complained about the delays in the investigation, which has been restarted several times because the senator asked for more time to file his counter-affidavit.
In contrast, other RA 11332 cases have been immediately brought to court and some cases in Bulacan, Manila, and Cebu were dismissed after the court ruled that the law could not be used as a basis for arresting persons carrying out criminal actions. protest or organize a relief mission without a quarantine pass. .
Koko Pimentel, DOJ, Department of Justice, Pimentel Quarantine Breach, COVID-19, Coronavirus
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