Judge orders transfer of GMA to Veterans hospital in QC

Confinement at St. Lukes extended by 5 more days
PASAY CITY (PinoyNews) – Judge Jesus Mupas of the Pasay City Regional Trial Court ordered on Thursday the transfer of former President and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City to, in an ironic twist of fate, the presidential suite at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City where former President Joseph Estrada was held in 2002.

The presidential suite is located at the ground floor and the biggest room at the VMMC on North Avenue.
The judge’s order was a relief to Mrs. Arroyo and her lawyers as it will extend by at least five days her confinement at St. Lukes to give way to the proper serving of orders to all parties and also to enable the Armed Forces which has jurisdiction of the VMMC and the Philippine National Police to prepare the hospital and map out security plans and other concerns. Mrs. Arroyo, through her lawyers, had earlier petitioned the court for five-day extension of stay at St. Luke’s as she was found to be suffering from a new ailment.
Judge Mupas gave the order after resuming the hearing on the petitions filed by Mrs. Arroyo and her lawyers and the Department of Justice and the Commission on Elections which had filed the election sabotage case against the former President.
Judge Mupas  said he found the VMMC facilities more secure and safe for Mrs. Arroyo.
Mrs. Elena Bautista-Horn, spokesperson and chief of staff of Congresswoman Arroyo, said that they will comply with the order of Judge Mupas to transfer to the VMMC.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who exposed several alleged corrupt activities of Mrs. Arroyo and her husband, Jose Miguel, said that the judge’s order to transfer the former president to the government hospital was the “most humane” decision.
During Thursday’s hearing, Dr. Juliet G. Cervantes, Mrs. Arroyo’s attending physician recommended that she remain at the  St. Luke’s Medical Center while the prosecutors wanted the transfer to a government hospital within the day.
Dr. Cervantes said Mrs. Arroyo should stay at St. Luke’s for a continuing medical assessment of her condition and for the administration of antibiotics.
She told the court that a colonoscopy showed there was swelling and redness of the intestine, which indicated contact colitis or inflammation of the lining of the colon.
“She complained of abdominal pains three to four times a day,” Cervantes said.
Pasay City Clerk of Court Joel Pelicano said the five days will give the parties concerned time to prepare for Mrs. Arroyo’s transfer.
“Considering the accused is under the custody of the law and it is difficult to justify if the accused will remain in a private hospital, the court decide(d) to transfer former President Arroyo to a government facility, particularly the VMMC,” Pelicano said after the court hearing.
“All parties (have) five days from receipt of the order. ‘Pag natanggap, may five days para ilipat (All parties have five days from the receipt of the order to effect the transfer),” he added.
He said this is “without prejudice” to the Arroyo camp’s motion for house arrest.
Judge Mupas’
order came a day after the Arroyo camp alleged there is a plot, dubbed “Oplan Put the Little Girl to Sleep”, to kill the former Philippine leader. The camp had been pushing for house arrest for Arroyo at his house at La Vista subdivision in Quezon City.
Judge Mupas earlier visited the Southern Police District facility, the VMMC and the AFP Medical Center both in Quezon City to check on their facilities. 
Based on pronouncements of government officials, Mrs. Arroyo may yet suffer the same fate of Mr. Estrada who was convicted of plunder, arrested by an army of policemen in his San Juan house, jailed and then placed under detention at a Quezon City Hospital and later at his Tanay resthouse.
Estrada, however, was allowed later by President Arroyo to be treated abroad for his bone and eye ailments. Then President Ferdinand Marcos, who was accused as a dictator, had allowed former Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. to undergo heart treatment in the United States.
Whatever would be the court’s ruling, Mrs. Arroyo would and was ready to accept the decision, her spokespersons said.
Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Gregorio Honasan, meanwhile, said the country might suffer an international backlash if the government placed the former president in a police detention facility. 
“The international community always has the United Nations (where) there is a commission on human rights. You can appeal before the UN Commission on Human Rights,” the senators said.
At the first hearing of the case, St. Luke’s doctor Mario Ver disclosed that  Arroyo was already “medically fit” to leave the hospital, prompting the government to move for Arroyo’s detention in a local jail facility, preferably at the Southern Police District.
But on Monday, St. Luke’s issued a new medical bulletin through Arroyo’s physician, Dr. Juliet Gopez-Cervantez stating that  “there has been a recurrence of diarrhea since the afternoon of Nov. 25, 2011, accompanied by crampy abdominal pain.”
The bulletin also stated: “ Pus cells were also found in Arroyo’s stool examination last Nov. 26, while a colonoscopy done on her on Nov. 27 showed “progression of colitis.”
The findings prompted Arroyo’s lawyer to plead that she be held at St. Lukes Medical Center for five more days or until she was good enough to be transferred to another facility.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court, voting 10-4, agreed not to summon Mrs. Arroyo’s doctors to the High Court to explain her medical condition, stating that the medical records were sufficient.
The High Court also ruled that the temporary restraining order (TRO) it had issued on the DoJ’ watchlist order on the Arroyos was still in effect.
The High Court has consolidated all petitions for and against Mrs. Arroyo and was expected to come out with its ruling in due time after the oral arguments by both parties.
In other developments:
1. Ordinary citizens held pocket demonstrations infront of St. Lukes expressing support for Mrs. Arroyo. They were held by security officers, but later were allowed to see the former President at her hospital room in small groups.
2. Leaders of Pampanga expressed their support for the former President, their fellow Kapampangan, and called on the government to treat Mrs. Arroyo with utmost respect considering that she has not been convicted and therefore was still presumed innocent and also because she is a former president and incumbent congresswoman of the second district of Pampanga.
 Justice Secretary Leila De Lima, an appointee of then President Arroyo to the post of Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights,  earliers expressed her opposition to the motion for Mrs. Arroyo  to be placed under house arrest.
 De Lima said it is better that Mrs. Arroyo be detained in a government facility which is complete with amenities.
However, De Lima said it is still the decision of  Judge  Mupas that will prevail over the matter. 
The joint DOJ-Commission on Elections (Comelec) investigating committee filed last Nov. 18 the electoral sabotage charges against Mrs. Arroyo, former Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr., and former Maguindanao provincial election supervisor Atty. Lintang Bedol for their alleged manipulation of the election results during the 2007 senatorial polls.
Electoral sabotage is a non-bailable offense and carries a penalty of reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment which is equivalent to a 40-year jail term.
Former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo  sarcastically admitted that his wife was indeed getting “special treatment” from the Aquino administration, saying it was out to discredit her and the family.
Arroyo made the statement after Secretary de Lima and Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes opposed Mrs. Arroyo’s bid to be placed under house arrest by saying it would be giving her special treatment.
“De Lima worried about giving special treatment to my wife?” Arroyo said. “She has been throwing at her various cases imaginable, persecuting our family, and aggressively searching and coercing criminals to testify against her.”
He said De Lima has prodded allies in the Senate and the House of Representatives “to hound her with simultaneous investigations.”
De Lima also defied the Supreme Court and hastened the judicial process “all in one day.” “Isn’t Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo being given ‘special treatment’ already?” Arroyo said.
Mrs. Arroyo’s legal spokesman, Raul Lambino, also laughed at Malacañang’s claim that it was not humiliating the former president.
“They have been humiliating her ever since. I think they don’t want to just humiliate her, they want her buried,” Lambino said.
Former justice secretary Raul Gonzalez described Malacañang’s statement as “hypocrisy.”
Gonzalez said the Aquino administration “definitely” wanted to put Arroyo in a bad light. “It is definitely clear that this is intended to embarrass her. Even if Malacañang says that they do not intend to embarrass her that is hypocrisy,” Gonzalez said. 
“Clearly it is designed to embarrass her not only before the Filipino people but clearly to the world… Even the international community has taken notice of that already,” he added.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte earlier said they had no intention of embarrassing Arroyo and that it was just a process that she has to undergo “like every accused who faces certain cases in our system.”
Malacañang also said that it is not the executive but the judiciary that would decide whether Arroyo would spend time in jail or be given house arrest.
According to Pasay City clerk of court, Arroyo may be allowed to bring her personal doctors or nurses to VMMC.
Pelicano added they expect no problems in Arroyo’s transfer to VMMC from St. Luke’s Medical Center.
“Oo. Walang problema, wala akong nakikitang problema. ‘Di yan pinagbabawal ng husgado (Yes, I see no problem with that. The court does not prohibit her from bringing her own doctors and nurses there),” Pelicano said.