PNP hopes probe on police doctor’s death will be comprehensive

June 8, 2020

The chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday hopes the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will include all agencies assigned in a quarantine facility in Pasig City in their probe on the death of a police doctor.

In a press briefing, Police General Archie Francisco Gamboa said it was the live-in partner of Police Captain Casey Guttierez who requested NBI to conduct an investigation.

“I hope NBI, if they will acquire jurisdiction over the case, I hope they will include everything from the service provider, from Office of Civil Defense (OCD) up to PNP. They must include everyone,” Gamboa said.

“Of course the investigation is primarily to find who is responsible but the second objective also is to improve on our system… there might be other things that needs improvement. So this is a continuing process and hopefully whatever will be the findings of NBI, the soonest we know what are the lapses so we can correct it,” he said.

Gamboa said all quarantine facilities are being handled by the OCD, who assigned the service providers.

Gamboa added that he gave directive to PNP Deputy Chief for Administration  Lt. General Camilo Pancratius Cascolan to investigate the administrative flow of the quarantine areas.

“Hopefully, the investigation that will be conducted by General Cascolan would still result in improvement of protocols and procedures in these quarantine areas,” he said.

“Our primary consideration is the welfare of our personnel,” he added.

Gutierrez, who served as one of the doctors at the Ultra Quarantine Facility in Pasig City, died last May 30 from massive pulmonary embolism due to allegedly inhaling a disinfectant.

Gutierrez's live-in partner, in her Facebook account, said other police personnel assigned in the same quarantine facility got sick due the same reason last June 1. Ella Dionisio/DMS