‘Human bopis’ probe sought: Clandestine sale of internal organs at NKTI bared
‘What’s more alarming is there are doctors and nurses that are allegedly involved.’
Text size
Share
Daily Tribune‘What’s more alarming is there are doctors and nurses that are allegedly involved.’
Share
Agri Partylist Rep. Wilbert Lee
(Photo from Wilbert Lee / Facebook)
A minority lawmaker has initiated a congressional inquiry into the illicit clandestine trade in human organs allegedly orchestrated by a nurse at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) in Quezon City.
Agri Partylist Rep. Wilbert Lee filed House Resolution 1803 on Thursday seeking an investigation into the “human bopis for sale” scheme, which he said was a blatant violation of the Organ Donation Act of 1991 and the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012.
“This modus operandi preys on our poor countrymen, especially those who are in dire straits and are desperate to earn a living,” Lee said in the vernacular.
“What’s more alarming is there are doctors and nurses that are allegedly involved. The people trust them and yet they put them at risk,” he added.
At least nine organ donors were rescued by the National Bureau of Investigation earlier this week in a raid in an exclusive subdivision in San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan. Four of them already had their kidneys removed in exchange for P200,000 each.
The NBI implicated Allan Ligaya, a staff nurse at the NKTI, as the mastermind of the kidney trafficking scheme.
Three of his alleged cohorts — Angela Atayde, Marichu Lomibao, and Daniel Sicat — were arrested by the NBI in the rescue operation.
According to the NBI, the traffickers exploit the economic vulnerability of the victims by offering them P200,000 in exchange for one of their kidneys.
Lee lamented that “many kidney donors, particularly those from vulnerable communities such as slums, are often unaware of the risks and side effects of the operation.”
‘Only tip of the iceberg’
Lee said his office conducted research on the illegal organ trade and learned the scheme has been openly going on among Facebook groups.
“It is necessary to investigate this immediately and seriously so that those who take advantage may be held accountable as soon as possible. This heinous act must be stopped and those behind it must be given a lesson,” the lawmaker stressed.
NKTI executive director Rose Liquete earlier confirmed that Ligaya was on their staff but denied that he was part of the transplant unit.
Liquete said Ligaya “could not do the operations himself because he is not a surgeon.”
“His work also does not give him access to organ donors and recipients since the unit he works in serves patients needing minor surgical, urological, and endoscopic procedures, not transplants.”
Nevertheless, she said, the state-run hospital would turn Ligaya over to the authorities if warranted.
The trafficking in human organs is a serious crime in the Philippines. Any person found to be involved in the illegal act may be imprisoned for up to 20 years and fined up to P2 million.
