EXPLAINER: Why is the reporting of gunshot wounds mandatory?
Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of suicide and depression.
Veteran actor Ronaldo Valdez died on Sunday, Dec. 17 after being found in his room with a gunshot wound in his head.
Maj. Don Don Llapitan, the chief of the Quezon City Police District's Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, told GMA's 24 Oras that Valdez was seen unresponsive in his chair with a gunshot wound in his right temple and a gun in his hand.
The film and television star was rushed to the hospital for immediate treatment but was declared dead on arrival. Everyone who was with Valdez at home had to undergo paraffin and ballistic tests as part of the standard operating procedure of the investigation into his sudden passing. The results are yet to be released.
Why reporting of gunshot wounds is necessary, according to experts
Under Presidential Decree No. 169, dated April 4, 1973 as amended by Executive Order No. 212 on July 10, 1987 under former president Cory Aquino, medical practitioners are mandated to report cases of serious and less serious physical injuries that they attend to. This can be interpreted to include gun-related cases.
In an interview with PhilSTAR L!fe, Atty. Danielito Jimenez said that reporting gunshot wounds could help determine whether foul play, an accident, or suicide may have contributed to the victim's demise.
"This is a standard operating procedure that has to be reported by hospitals in cases involving gunshot wounds as it is potentially crime-related," he said.
Dr. Roda Ann Mendoza-San Diego, a general surgeon at De Los Santos Medical Center and The Medical City, explained how medical practitioners handle gunshot wound reporting.
"The most urgent or emergent is treated first if medical/surgical services/supplies are limited," she began.
"In case a patient’s history points out that it was self-inflicted and that they have a history of mental issues like depression, we include that in the report but this is after we stabilize the patient first or if he is dead on arrival or died of his wounds at the hospital."
Mendoza-San Diego said that if there's an assigned medico legal doctor at the hospital, they refer it to the latter. "Otherwise, we are required to fill out a medico legal form," she said, adding that it includes the history of the patient, how it happened according to the one who brought the patient to the hospital, among others.
"We examine their injuries the same time we give the patient proper treatment and describe them to note where the bullet came from, where it exited, any other injuries sustained and how," she added.
Atty. John Angel Bautista told L!fe that reporting such cases "will enable the police to take immediate steps to prevent further acts of violence, injury, or even death if warranted," he said, adding that data gathered from these reports will also help Congress create laws and policies regulating gun ownership and use in the Philippines.
According to Atty. Daniel Fordan, there are corresponding penalties if the EO is not followed. "Under the same order, there is a minor fine but there's also a possible cancellation of license on third offense," he said. "The offending physician may also be administratively penalized by the Professional Regulation Commission." (with reports from Brooke Villanueva)