My friend Anna said one mustn’t post negative stuff because the energy will bounce back to the author. But I feel that this story has to be told because there are really bad people out there and it’s scary.
I’ll try to cut this story short so that I can move on with the rest of my day…
To make a long story short, my lawyer cousin woke up early to go to the hospital to convince Nilo to sign the waiver. But first they had to wait for Nilo’s boss who was driving from Pampanga. They waited a few hours.
• When the boss arrived, they signed in the agreement that I would should the medical bills and that’s all. They even accepted a settlement of Php 50,000 for Nilo’s rehab and loss of income during his recovery.
• The Php 50,000 was pocketed by Nilo’s boss, saying he doesn’t trust Nilo with the money. He said Nilo might spend it on women and drinking (a statement which later enraged Nilo’s siblings).
• I don’t understand why a middle-aged man like Nilo is not able to make decisions without clearing it with his boss first.
• Nilo’s concern was to get well as soon as possible because his boss relies on him for the business.
• The boss said it was Nilo’s responsibility to find him a reliever during his recovery period.
• Nilo’s wife was not allowed by the boss to visit Nilo during his one-week hospital stay. According to the relatives, that was because Nilo’s wife was running the boss’s laundry business, where she was being paid Php 5,000/month (less than minimum wage).
• Nilo could not claim Philhealth because his Philhealth and SSS had lapsed months ago. If Nilo’s boss really considered him “family”, why did he not take care of the Philhealth? Is it because Nilo’s family is a free border at the boss’s compound?
• Nilo was placed in a private room. When I asked him to be transferred to a semi-private room to lower the bills (especially the doctor’s fees), his only question was “Does it have a TV?” It does not. He asked if he could stay in the private room because of the TV, and we agreed.
Our driver was released later that day. Our lawyer had the pay the cops a “gift” of Php 5,000.
Our driver and car were unharmed. Our driver said he was free to roam around the vicinity and buy food. He did not suffer. While the cops refused to speak to our lawyer on the phone, they were very friendly when they met, and happily received the cash.
I didn’t speak about it with our driver because aside from Nilo, I think he and I suffered the most. He—because he had to spend a night in the precinct, and I, because of how the boss treated me.
At first it was feared that Nilo would need a second surgery, but he really wanted to get well and we prayed for him. I believed he dodged a second surgery because he’s a good man. I believe good people are blessed with speedy recovery.
After one week I paid a total of Php 352,000. It’s sad that the doctors in Medical City that treated him wanted to be paid in cash. We had to fight with the nurse to accept my credit card payment. It was a Friday and there was no way I would get cash late in the afternoon. They did not want to accept a check.
After an argument, the doctors finally agreed to a credit card payment care of the hospital. I am still paying for that bill through a 0% payment scheme.
I sincerely hope Nilo is OK now. As for the boss, my brain has chosen to erase his name. It is no longer in my memory bank and I don’t want to remember.
I also don’t want anything to do with the cousin who refused to vouch for me.
In hindsight, I wish I had followed the Medical City doctor’s advice to move Nilo to a government hospital, then the cost wouldn’t hurt so much.
We have installed a dashboard camera so that we can be protected in case anything like this happens.
I would also like to request the City of Pasig to create a zebra crossing in front of Ayala Malls the 30th because a lot of people still pass there.
This shouldn’t happen to anyone again. Not to impatient pedestrians, and not to innocent drivers and car owners like us.
READ ALSO:
We Are All Tizons by Shakira Sison
My Family’s Slave by Alex Tizon