The House Committee on Agriculture and Food instructed on Tuesday morning, March 21 the House of Representatives physician to go to the hospital where "Sibuyas Queen" Lilia Cruz had  been confined to.

This, after Cruz, who goes by the alias "Leah Cruz", skipped the panel's hearing on the agricultural hoarding-slash-price manipulation issue for the third straight time.

During the hearing Tuesday, Cruz's legal counsel, lawyer Kenneth Bryan Tegio, submitted a medical certificate to the panel revealing that the businessman had been confirmed at Metropolitan Medical Center in Sta. Cruz, Manila, since Sunday March 19.

"Now for the third time, another reason was given by your client?" an irate Cavite 4th district Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. said in his interpolation of Tegio.

"She's currently admitted at Metropolitan Medical Center. She's confined starting March 19 pero mayroon na po siyang undergoing medical procedures (but she's been having undergoing medical procedures),"

To put Cruz's excuse to the test, Barzaga asked the House's resident physician, medical director, Dr. Luis Bautista to read out loud the medical certificate and give his assessment.

When Tegio invoked her client's right to privacy, Barzaga countered, "There is no right of privacy as far as investigation is concerned...Kung lahat ng resource person namin sasabihin right of privacy, eh di wala nang pupunta rito (If all resource persons that we invite invoke the right to privacy, this probe won't go anywhere)."

Despite being given the green light, Bautista appeared hesitant to read out loud the contents of the medical certificate in the public hearing.

"With the certificate, your client is really a 47-year-old female, has the condition stated herein. I need not go to it one-by-one, but with these conditions, and she's actually admitted for her condition of uh...bleeding, let's just say. Bleeding," he said.

"But this does not preclude her from attending this session by Zoom. That's what I I to say here," added the doctor.

Barzaga then made a motion to require Bautista "to visit today personally and see the condition of Leah Cruz as to whether or not her condition really prevents her from attending the session".

This motion was promptly carried by panel chairman, Quezon 1st district Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga after nobody objected.

Bargaza then turned to Tegio and said, "You assist him (Bautista) para makita mo naman ang gagawin ng physician (You assist him so that you'll know what the physician will do)."

The panel investigation was triggered by the absurdly high prices of onions (sibuyas) during the latter half of 2022. Cruz, who attended the first two hearings of the hoarding inquiry, is arguably the most intriguing person in the probe.

Metropolitan Medical Center is 17.3 kilometers away from Batasan Complex, home of the House of Representatives. The panel hearing is still ongoing as of this posting.