BY GENALYN KABILING
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THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has launched an investigation into the death of a police doctor while working at a government-run quarantine facility, President Duterte said in his report to Congress.
The President said Police Captain Casey Gutierrez, M.D., died after allegedly inhaling chemical substances at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City last week.
The sports arena, popularly known as Ultra, is one of the facilities converted into temporary quarantine centers for coronavirus patients.
Gutierrez, 31, reportedly had breathing trouble while undergoing the decontamination protocol at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City last March 24. He was rushed to the hospital and died the next day.
Two days later, two more policemen reportedly suffered difficulty in breathing after undergoing the same decontamination process at the site.
The PhilSports arena is one of the two PNP-manned COVID-19 quarantine facilities aside from the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).
Apart from the death of the police doctor, the President mentioned other investigations being conducted by the NBI in relation to the coronavirus response.
He said 43 hospitals located in Metro Manila, Nueva Ecija, Laguna and Rizal are under investigation for allegedly refusing to admit patients.
An investigation on the alleged overpricing by Omnibus Bio-Medical Systems, Inc. and Sansure Biotech of the Automated Nucleic Acid Extraction Machines they supplied is also underway, Duterte said.
He said the NBI is likewise looking into the alleged anomalous distribution of financial assistance to affected sectors.
