Ramos wishes GMA full recovery from ailment

MANILA, Philippines - Former President Fidel Ramos on Thursday wished former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s full recovery from her present ailment.

“We wish her best of health in overcoming health crisis because she deserves it. We wish her good health,” Ramos said when asked for his message to Arroyo, who is confined at the Saint Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) in Taguig City.

Journalists interviewed Ramos Thursday night at a book launching of the Rotary International District 3780 Quezon City at the Manila Hotel.

Relations between Arroyo and Ramos have been chilly since the latter refused to back the merger of his Lakas-CMD party and Arroyo’s party for her presidential bid, Kampi.

Ramos had also criticized the presidential pardon that Arroyo extended to former President Joseph Estrada, who was convicted of plunder in 2007.

Arroyo is now taking heavy doses of antibiotics and was fitted with a metal contraption to immobilize her head and neck after surgeons removed an infected implant meant to replace pieces of her backbone.

The former leader underwent a seven-hour emergency operation on Wednesday to correct the dislocation of titanium implants that were placed in the first surgery last July 29 to treat what doctors called a “damaged cervical spine with multilevel cervical spondylosis,” which may lead to paralysis if left untreated.

According to her doctors, Arroyo could be staying at the SLMC anywhere from three to four weeks.

The Senate is currently investigating alleged anomalies during the Arroyo administration, zeroing in on the sale of second-hand helicopters to the Philippine National Police, which were passed off as brand new.

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)-Public Affairs Commission chairman Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez said that while he supports the investigation being conducted against members of the Arroyo family, the Senate should also take into consideration the former first couple’s health.

“Whatever these investigations may be, these should be continued. However, they should take into consideration the health of those being accused,” Bishop Iniguez said during an interview over Church-run Radio Veritas.

Even former Lingayen-Dagupan archbishop Oscar Cruz, who has been critical of the former chief executive, agreed with Bishop Iniguez.

“For humanitarian reasons, let us spare the Arroyo couple in the investigation,” Cruz, who previously served as CBCP president, said.

He clarified that he is not saying that the Senate should abandon its investigations on the alleged involvement of the Arroyo couple in past irregularities, but the former Pangasinan prelate said the Senate should give them time to recover from their illnesses and face their accusers.

“I know that the Arroyo couple are suffering. I am in favor of the investigations (against them) to continue, but let us wait until they get better. It would not be good if we would proceed with the probe even if they are already sick, that would not be humane,” said Cruz.

He said he believes that it would be better if they could stand up and defend themselves.

“We should not kick a person when he or she is already down. This has been my policy. When her administration ceased, I stopped talking against it. But when she was in power, I spoke against her policies which I think would not benefit the Filipino people.”

All eyes on the Arroyos

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Sen. Vicente Sotto III said that while it was distasteful for a former president to be placed on the Bureau of Immigration (BI) watchlist, it doesn’t mean that Arroyo cannot leave the country.

Sotto said being in the watchlist would only mean that one just needs to seek permission to be allowed to travel.

“We cannot prevent her from leaving the country especially if she will use her sickness as an excuse. If the sickness is not true, the doctors of the Senate will find out,” he said.

Ang Galing Pinoy party-list Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo, who went to the US recently, has announced that he will cut short his trip to prove that he is not a flight risk following the order of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to put him and other members of the Arroyo clan in the BI watchlist.

Mikey Arroyo left the country last week to meet with donors of various medical equipment for his party-list group. He was scheduled to return to the country on Aug. 20 but he announced that he will fly back on Monday.

His trip was covered by a travel authority issued by the office of Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.

“Even though I have yet to be formally notified that I am being placed under the watchlist as I have only heard it from the news, I have decided to come home earlier and have my flight back to Manila rebooked for Monday, August 15. Although I was originally scheduled to be back by the 20th as stated in my travel authority, even if this would mean going out of my way and pay the necessary rebooking fee,” Arroyo said in a statement.

Arroyo and his wife Angela were slapped by the Bureau of Internal Revenue with a P73-million tax evasion complaint for allegedly failing to declare income from the sale of some of their US properties.

The younger Arroyo lamented that “this is the first time in the history of Philippine politics that an entire family is persecuted.”

“I am doing this not only to prove that I am not a flight risk but also to show my respect and sincerity to our judicial system and to the Filipino people,” he said.

He added that evading the tax cases never crossed his mind and he had always been sincere in cooperating with the authorities regarding the case.

“In fact, records will show that since my wife and I first arrived home from our previous trip abroad, we have always been punctual in attending our hearings, even arriving earlier than the scheduled time,” Arroyo said.

“Furthermore, I would like to thank all those who have been continuously praying for the speedy recovery of my mother. I hope you continue to do so and bear with us through these trying times,” he said. – With Paolo Romero, Evelyn Macairan, Roel Pareño