No ‘beso-beso’ in GMA send-off to Bangkok

Even the President is not exempt from SARS scrutiny.

Before she boarded the chartered private Lear jet that took her to Bangkok, Thailand yesterday, Mrs. Arroyo underwent medical check-up to detect signs of fever and other symptoms of the dreaded Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

The President flew to Bangkok to attend an emergency summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that will discuss ways to contain the spread of the fatal illness.

With three confirmed SARS cases in the country, Mrs. Arroyo also did away with the traditional beso-beso and stuck with the formal handshake with government officials who saw her off at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

"With the SARS virus, it’s really advisable not to beso-beso for now," Mrs. Arroyo quipped.

Bureau of Quarantine and International Health Surveillance chief Dr. Edgardo Sabitsana, who was at Villamor Air Base yesterday, told reporters that Mrs. Arroyo might not need to be placed under compulsory quarantine when she returns this morning from Bangkok via Cebu if she does not manifest any fever or other SARS-related symptoms.

But for safety reasons, Sabitsana suggested that the President limit her movements when she returns.

Presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said that "it is something that the Palace will decide when she comes back."

Immediately after her trip to Bangkok, Mrs. Arroyo is scheduled to give the keynote address of the sixth national convention of the "Liga ng mga Barangay" to be held this morning at the Cebu Waterfront Hotel.