Court allows Imelda to fly to HK for alternative medicine treatment

Former first lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos received permission yesterday from a court in Manila to travel to Hong Kong to seek alternative medicine treatment.

Marcos has until Feb. 21 to fly to Hong Kong, the court said.

Judge Silvino Pampilo Jr. of Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 26 allowed the 76-year-old widow of President Ferdinand Marcos to travel to Hong Kong from Feb. 9 to 21 after she posted a P320,000 travel bond.

After careful consideration, the court granted Marcos’ motion based on her constitutional right and humanitarian grounds, he added.

Government prosecutors did not oppose Marcos’ motion, Manila RTC clerk of court Norma Ferreras said.

Pampilo granted Marcos’ urgent motion for leave to travel abroad under the recommendation of her physician, Dr. Roalito Anastacio.

The court, which handles all 32 criminal cases against Marcos, ordered her not to travel to other places apart from her destination and advise the court of her arrival.

In her motion filed last Jan. 27, Marcos lawyer Robert Sison said Anastacio had recommended that his client undergo alternative medicine treatment in Hong Kong.

Marcos has been suffering from various ailments, including "dry cough and persistent knee problem," her lawyer said.

"The accused has no intention to evade the due course of justice and the processes of this Honorable Court," Marcos’ lawyer said in his three-page motion.

"She has left the country several times in the past and has returned in compliance with the terms and conditions of her permit to travel abroad."

Apart from the travel bond, Marcos also posted paid bonds for her provisional liberty and submitted waivers of appearance in court.

A similar motion filed by Marcos last year was rejected on the grounds that she had failed to respect previous dates set by the court for her return to the Philippines.

It wasn’t clear why the court changed its mind, but Marcos’ lawyer said the latest motion was different.

Marcos then wanted to travel to Shanghai to consult an alternative medicine practitioner, and this time mentioned only Hong Kong, her lawyer said.

Her husband was toppled by a popular revolt in 1986, and died in exile in Hawaii three years later. — Edu Punay, AP