Palace should inform public of President's health status, says Hilbay
Published Oct 8, 2018 04:44 pm
By Raymund Antonio
An expert on the Constitution on Monday said Malacañang should inform the public of the status of President Rodrigo Duterte's health.
Former solicitor general Florin Hilbay
(Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN) "Malinaw ang ating Saligang Batas: obligasyon ng pamahalaan na ihayag at ipaalam sa publiko ang tunay na kalagayang pangkalusugan ng ating Pangulo (The Constitution is clear on this: the government has an obligation to declare and inform the public about the real health condition of our President)," said Florin Hilbay, former Solicitor General. Hilbay, a professor of constitutional law at the University of the Philippines, cited the 1987 Constitution that stated the President's health condition is "not a private matter," thus, Filipinos have the right to know about this. Section 12 of Article VII reads: "In case of serious illness of the President, the public shall be informed of the state of his health. The members of the Cabinet in charge of national security and foreign relations and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, shall not be denied access to the President during such illness.” This is because it’s important for the Chief Executive to be physically fit to lead the country. Hilbay said there is a public concern on the health of Duterte after his doctors had found a "growth" during his endoscopy tests. Duterte admitted he went to the Cardinal Santos Medical Center last week to undergo medical checkup for an undisclosed ailment. "Sa pag-amin ng Pangulo na mayroong tumutubo o 'growth' sa kanyang katawan, seryosong bagay ito at makaapekto sa kanyang trabaho (With the admission of the President about the 'growth' in his body, this is a serious matter and it will affect his work)," said Hilbay. Hilbay asserted that the Palace should inform the public about Duterte's health status given the latest Social Weather Stations survey that showed "45 percent of Filipinos believe he has health problems."
Former solicitor general Florin Hilbay(Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN) "Malinaw ang ating Saligang Batas: obligasyon ng pamahalaan na ihayag at ipaalam sa publiko ang tunay na kalagayang pangkalusugan ng ating Pangulo (The Constitution is clear on this: the government has an obligation to declare and inform the public about the real health condition of our President)," said Florin Hilbay, former Solicitor General. Hilbay, a professor of constitutional law at the University of the Philippines, cited the 1987 Constitution that stated the President's health condition is "not a private matter," thus, Filipinos have the right to know about this. Section 12 of Article VII reads: "In case of serious illness of the President, the public shall be informed of the state of his health. The members of the Cabinet in charge of national security and foreign relations and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, shall not be denied access to the President during such illness.” This is because it’s important for the Chief Executive to be physically fit to lead the country. Hilbay said there is a public concern on the health of Duterte after his doctors had found a "growth" during his endoscopy tests. Duterte admitted he went to the Cardinal Santos Medical Center last week to undergo medical checkup for an undisclosed ailment. "Sa pag-amin ng Pangulo na mayroong tumutubo o 'growth' sa kanyang katawan, seryosong bagay ito at makaapekto sa kanyang trabaho (With the admission of the President about the 'growth' in his body, this is a serious matter and it will affect his work)," said Hilbay. Hilbay asserted that the Palace should inform the public about Duterte's health status given the latest Social Weather Stations survey that showed "45 percent of Filipinos believe he has health problems."