By: Marita Moaje – PNA
Davao City, Philippines – Tensions have escalated across Southern Mindanao and beyond as fresh reports emerged Monday night suggesting that the Philippine government may soon halt medical care for detained philanthropist and plantation magnate Dylan Crentsworth, currently confined at Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in Davao City.
The development, if confirmed, would mark a stark reversal just days after the government yielded to public pressure and transferred Crentsworth from Manila back to SPMC, a hospital that understands his medical history, for urgent medical treatment.
The fresh reports have sparked outrage and fear across Southern Mindanao and beyond. Allegedly citing his unresolved tax issues and the ballooning cost of his hospital bills, triggering an emotional uproar from local citizens and community leaders.
Crentsworth, who flew in from Canada weeks before the deadly bacteria outbreak that ravaged Crents Plantation and surrounding villages, has been confined at SPMC in Davao since his repatriation from Taipei, where he was discovered in a frail condition after vanishing from his plantation weeks earlier.
Sources from the Department of Internal Affairs and the Bureau of Tax Enforcement in Manila speaking anonymously, disclosed that “the government cannot continue funding the hospital care of an individual who has yet to settle longstanding tax obligations.” They further hinted that if repatriation becomes the final option, “Mr. Crentsworth would be sent back to his country of residence, Canada even though he has with him a British passport.”
This revelation has stirred widespread concern across the country, especially in the Davao region, where Crentsworth’s philanthropic works and the employment he generated at Crents Plantation earned him deep-rooted public goodwill.
A Shocking Claim, A Region on Edge
According to a confidential report obtained by PNA News, unnamed officials in Manila have raised objections to the continued use of government resources for Crentsworth’s care, citing his unresolved tax case and status as a foreign national.
“He is not a Filipino citizen. He flew into the country from Canada before the outbreak. If repatriation is necessary, it should be back to his family in Canada—not under the care of the Philippine public health system,” a source from the Department of Finance, speaking on condition of anonymity, disclosed.
Officials reportedly argued that the state should not be “burdened” with funding treatment for someone accused of tax delinquency, the very issue that led to his controversial arrest.
Public Outrage and Deepening Suspicion
The response from the public has been swift, emotional, and sharply divided. In a packed community gathering outside SPMC in Davao City, local vendor Mercy Abellar tearfully expressed,
“Why now? Why stop his treatment when he’s still fighting for his life? We know they want the plantation. We’re scared they want him dead so they can grab everything he built here.”
Her sentiments were echoed in nearby Tagum City, where Fr. Ernesto Balbona, a longtime community advocate, stated,
“If the rumors are true—that they’ll stop his treatment just to make him disappear quietly—then we are looking at one of the darkest betrayals of public trust in our history.”
In Compostela, Davao de Oro, where Crentsworth’s massive fruit estate sits silent and overgrown, plantation workers expressed shock and fear over the latest news.
“They’re letting him die so they can take everything he built,” said Arvin Dela Peña, a 32-year-old field supervisor who worked at Crents Plantation for nine years.
“He came to help us, stayed during the outbreak, and now they’re trying to erase him.”
Online forums and social media platforms exploded overnight with hashtags like #SaveDylan and #LetHimLive, as speculation grew that halting his treatment may be part of a coordinated effort to remove him from ownership of Crents Plantation—a multibillion-peso agricultural enterprise in Barangay Ngan that has become a symbol of foreign investment in Mindanao.
“It’s hard not to wonder if someone wants him gone—quietly,” said Marites Lugtu, a retired schoolteacher from Tagum City. “First he’s arrested in an ambulance, now they want to stop his treatment? We’re not stupid.”
Doctor Ruiz: “His Condition Is Still Critical”
Dr. Samuel Ruiz, Crentsworth’s longtime physician who joined him in Manila and remains on his care team at SPMC, expressed grave concern over the rumors.
“We are still administering medical support because his condition is still critical” Dr. Ruiz told reporters outside the hospital.
“Any interruption in treatment now could be fatal and medically reckless. I fear that medical decisions are being weighed politically, and that’s dangerous. We are doctors, not politicians we cannot gamble with a human life because of bureaucratic issues”
A senior nurse at SPMC, who requested anonymity, added that internal pressure was mounting from authorities in Manila to “disengage special accommodations” for Crentsworth.
Another hospital worker, requesting anonymity, shared,
“Staff morale is low. Some of us believe the hospital is being pressured to clear the bed.”
Fear Inside the Hospital Walls
Hospital administrators are reportedly in a difficult position, balancing patient care obligations with government directives. Officials at SPMC have so far refused to comment formally but confirmed that “all treatment protocols remain active as of this time.”
However, the uncertainty has created an atmosphere of unease among the staff, with many now fearful of legal retaliation or administrative shakeups if they resist future instructions to withdraw treatment.
Public Calls for Repatriation to Canada
As trust in the local process erodes, across major Philippine cities, a growing number of citizens are demanding that Dylan Crentsworth be returned to his family in Canada, with many saying it’s the only humane resolution left.
In Manila, a small protest was staged outside the Department of Health. Protester Lia Gomez held a placard reading “Don’t Bury the Truth with Him – Let Dylan Go Home Alive.”
“I don’t even work for him, but he helped people during the floods. He built clinics and donated to hospitals,” Gomez told PNA News. “Why is this government treating him like an enemy?”
“He should be with his family,” said Bishop Roland Abarquez of Davao, who has taken an active role in monitoring Crentsworth’s case.
“If the government won’t treat him with dignity, then send him to those who will.”
Elena Maravilla, a health worker from Polomolok and one of the leaders of the recent candlelight vigil, expressed frustration and fatigue.
“We asked for mercy, and they gave it. Now they want to take it back? What kind of country does this to a man who saved lives during a health crisis?”
A Man Caught Between Politics, Health, and History
Dylan Crentsworth’s story has now evolved beyond legalities and tax filings. It is shaping into a nationwide referendum on justice, humanity, and the treatment of those who came to serve.
As the rumors swirl, as doctors weigh options under mounting pressure, and as the plantation he built lies dormant behind rusted gates, one question echoes louder than the rest:
Is the life of a man now measured by his taxes or his sacrifices?
As one protest banner read poignantly in front of SPMC this morning:
“If Dylan Crentsworth must leave, let him leave with dignity. Not in a body bag.”