"This is just an executive check-up. There is no cause for concern," Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor said in a radio interview.
He said the President simply heeded the advice of her physicians to undergo an executive check-up every year to prevent any ailments.
In a brief medical bulletin, the First Couple’s attending physician, Dr. Juliet Gopez-Cervantes, said "the workups are in progress and so far they are both doing well."
Cervantes said the check-up would be finished by lunch time today and the First Couple would be back at the Palace in the afternoon. It was the first time for Mrs. Arroyo to undergo such a check-up.
Defensor said there was nothing unusual about Mrs. Arroyo the night before she and her husband went to the hospital.
"She only looked tired but she had a very good appetite," he said.
Mrs. Arroyo had dinner Friday night with Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Makati City with some friends and members of the diplomatic corps.
"We still expect to give directives. They have to be confined because they need to undergo a series of tests. But it’s not as if she’s indisposed and cannot work," Defensor said.
He added that there would be no change in Mrs. Arroyo’s schedule. She cut back on her activities after being hospitalized twice this year.
"Sometimes she exceeds her limit of activities but she never complained of anything. She has not been sick,"Defensor said.
Mrs. Arroyo, 59, was hospitalized for two days in late June after suffering from diarrhea, which doctors said was triggered by stress that had lowered her resistance to infection. She was back in the hospital a month later because of the flu.
Defensor said Mrs. Arroyo had been scheduled to undergo a thorough medical check up later this year because she did not have time for it after her last hospitalization due to a scheduled trip to Europe.
He said the President’s schedule had eased up after attending last week’s Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnam.
Mrs. Arroyo is expected to leave the hospital today, Defensor said.
In an interview with reporters, Cervantes said there was nothing to worry about Mrs. Arroyo’s health and it is not necessary for her to lose weight.
As for Mr. Arroyo, Cervantes said while he is also okay, physicians advised him to "trim down" a bit. She said it would be best for him to go on a diet that is low in carbohydrates and fat.
Cervantes also said that as far as eating chocolates is concerned, Mrs. Arroyo could continue to do so. "Actually, chocolates have more benefits than harm," she added.
Cervantes said Mrs. Arroyo and the First Gentleman, like other adults, should regularly undergo executive check ups.
She said test results on the First Couple showed nothing "significant" and they could resume working today.
"We’ve been advising her to limit her activities, but knowing the President and how workaholic she is, (it’s not possible)... up to now, in between check ups she’s again working," Cervantes said.
"But I’m sure she knows her limit so there is nothing to worry about. As long as she knows her limit, I think we are just on the right track," she added.
Cervantes said they will reveal the results of Mrs. Arroyo’s executive check up in the interest of the general public, but some aspects would still remain confidential.
Mrs. Arroyo was earlier reported to be suffering from a liver ailment and this was cited as the reason she was hospitalized twice this year. Mrs. Arroyo and her physicians have denied the reports.
She also laughed off reports that she developed the liver ailment because she was an alcoholic. — With AP, AFP