FORMER executive secretary Salvador Medialdea was rushed to a hospital in the Hague in the Netherlands after he fell ill yesterday, the Philippine Embassy in the Netherlands said.
In a statement, the embassy said Medialdea complained of not feeling well while on a scheduled visit to former president Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court Detention Center.
“Atty. Salvador Medialdea went to the ICC Detention Center early this morning, 18 March, for a scheduled visit to former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte. While registering at the reception counter at around 8:55 a.m., Atty. Medialdea fell ill,” it said.
It added that an embassy official who accompanied the former executive secretary to the detention center immediately called for help.
It said that authorities at the detention center provided medical assistance and an ambulance to transfer Medialdea to a nearby hospital.
“An ambulance was called which brought Atty. Medialdea to a Hague area hospital where he is currently receiving treatment,” it said, adding that a close relative of the lawyer is with him.
Reports said Sen. Robin Padilla is also with Medialdea at the hospital.
ICC spokesperson Fadi el Abdallah declined to provide additional information on Medialdea’s condition.
“I have no information but in general we do not comment on private life matters,” El Abdallah said.
Medialdea is serving as one of Duterte’s legal counsels in the ICC case that the latter is facing for crimes against humanity in relation to extrajudicial killings that happened in the implementation of his administration’s violent crackdown on the illegal drugs trade.
He accompanied Duterte from Manila when he was arrested and extradited to the ICC to face the ICC charges.
