UP employees hit Ramon Tulfo over ‘abusive, atrocious’ behavior

“The ER doctor, Jay Guerrero, did not want to give the child first aid treatment, saying he didn’t want it recorded on video,” Tulfo said. (File photo: Ramon Tulfo/Facebook)

The employees of the University of the Philippines (UP) in Manila lambasted radio broadcaster and columnist Ramon Tulfo for the “abusive and atrocious behavior” he showed at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) last Thursday, August 16.

“The All UP Academic Employees Union-Manila Chapter, representing the faculty and the research, extension, and professional staff (REPS) of the University of the Philippines in Manila, including the resident physicians and consultants of the Philippine General Hospital, strongly condemns the abusive and atrocious behavior exhibited by Mr. Ramon Tulfo at the PGH Emergency Room yesterday, August 16,” it said in a statement.

Earlier this week, Tulfo posted a video on Facebook about his “PGH experience” where he brought a six-year-old girl to the PGH emergency room (ER) after his driver bumped her. Tulfo said they were traversing a congested street in Navotas when their car hit the kid who was playing in the area.

In the video, Tulfo could be heard throwing swear words at the ER doctor as he demanded to have the child, who sustained minor injuries, checked first. The mother, holding her daughter on her lap, was also seen trying to stop Tulfo because the kid was getting scared.

“The ER doctor, Jay Guerrero, did not want to give the child first aid treatment, saying he didn’t want it recorded on video. No amount of pleading from me to attend to the young patient would budge the good doctor,” Tulfo wrote.

Saying that he disregarded the “tirage,” the union viewed the radio broadcaster’s action not only “grossly irresponsible,” but also “patently endanger the lives of other patients under the care of the PGH ER staff.

The video, it also said, “clearly violates the fundamental rights of both the PGH personnel and the patients” and that it “unequivocally condemns attempts at doctor shaming” initiated by Tulfo through various platforms on social media.

The union then called on the PGH administration and the UP-Manila leadership to take “direct and formal action” against Tulfo.

“We continue to support all of the health personnel, staff, and students working in PGH, as they remain steadfast in their unwavering service to the poor despite the very far-from-ideal working conditions afforded by the Philippine healthcare system,” it said.

The viral video, shared by Tulfo to his more than 14,000 followers on Facebook, drew mixed reactions from netizens.

“I pray, sir, that you may never have to go through a life-and-death situation for which you would need to entrust your life to a doctor you have deemed unworthy of ‘respect.’ And should that time come, God forbid, I pray that no one is there to take a viral video of it,” Facebook user Ryuichi Nakamura said.

Netizen Ina Chiu wrote, “With all due respect Mr. Ramon Tulfo, there is a reason why the kid was not prioritized at the time. In the ER, we always say ‘inuuna ang mas nangangailangan/mas naghihingalo (Those who have greater needs should be prioritized);’ the patient obviously looked very stable and Dr. Guerrero must have had patients who needed more attention at the time.”

“Isoli mo din ninakaw ng family mo para mas maraming matulungan ang PGH kasi kung talagang nag observe ka dun kagabi hindi lang para manggulo, nakita mo sana na more than double the capacity na ang ER. Pwe (You should also return the money that your family has stolen so that PGH could help more people because if you really observed there last night not only to cause trouble, you will be able to see that the ER is more than double the capacity),” Greco Malijan said.

While some were criticizing Tulfo for his actions, others slammed the services of government-owned hospitals.

“’Pag alam nilang mahirap ka maghintay ka, ay pilipinas kawawa mga mahihirap (If they know that you are poor, you should wait. In the Philippines, poor people are pitiful),” netizen Alberto Angeles said.

Demson Moral Nayve added, “Ganyan ang mga yan pag nakikita nilng mukhang tendera lang sa palengke ‘di agad inaasikaso pag mukhang mayaman nagkandarapa at panay sir maam pa tawag sa pasyente (They are like that. Once they see someone who looks like they are just selling in the wet market, they will not immediately attend to that patient’s needs. But if that patient looks rich, they will be the first ones to approach and would even address him or her as ‘sir’ and ‘ma’am’).”

Moreover, Joey Lomerio reacted, “Kahit saan naman po basta government hospital kuya Mon ganyan sila (Any government hospital is like that, Mon).”

As of writing, the video garnered 509,000 views, 5,800 reactions, 3,200 comments, and 3,200 shares.