GMA undergoes third surgery

MANILA, Philippines -  Former President now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo underwent her third spinal surgery yesterday morning.

Marilen Lagniton, St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) vice president for corporate communications, said Arroyo was wheeled into the operating room at around 9 a.m.

“She had no fever since (Tuesday) so the doctors decided to do the surgery (Wednesday) morning,” Lagniton told reporters.

Lagniton did not provide other details about the former president’s condition, saying the doctors will give an updates before noon today.

Last Monday, SLMC announced that Arroyo, 64, “developed an increase in temperature” which prompted her doctors to cancel the surgery.

Doctors said, “There is no contraindication to going ahead with the surgery (but) they want to make sure that the fever is completely gone before proceeding.”

Various tests conducted on Arroyo also showed that the increase in temperature was not due to infection.

“All said tests turned out to be negative. Hence she will be continually monitored,” Arroyo’s chief physician Juliet Gopez-Cervantes said in a statement.

Arroyo’s first operation was on July 29, when four of her seven cervical vertebrae were replaced with bone substitutes and titanium implants.

She was discharged from the hospital on Aug. 5 but was readmitted after three days when the implants were “dislodged” due to an infection.

Last week, Cervantes said they found out that calcium problems – and not the infection – was the main cause of the implant displacement.

She added that Arroyo is suffering from hypoparathyroidism, which caused her calcium level to decrease and her bones to weaken.

For the third surgery, doctors would have to get bone grafts from her pelvis, which would then be placed in a mesh to be attached to her cervical spine.

* Pray for GMA

* Opposition lawmakers meanwhile, called on the Filipino public to pray for the fast recovery of Arroyo.

* In a statement, the minority bloc led by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman made a “special request to all our countrymen of goodwill – and regardless of their political views – to join us in praying for the success of the third surgical operation” on Arroyo.

* The lawmakers also renewed their call for an end to what is seen as a campaign by the Aquino administration to demonize Arroyo and her family.

* “We reiterate for the nth time our objection to and disgust of the trial by publicity being pursued by the Aquino administration against political foes,” the statement said.

* “The proper and legal fora are the prosecutorial and judicial bodies, not the media and the propaganda mill,” he said.

* Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. earlier said House members were saddened over the health condition of Arroyo and called on the public to respect the privacy of the former leader.

* “We were all unhappy that she’s going through this (medical) process as a person, as a member of the House and as somebody we have known for a long time,” Belmonte said.

* He said he personally relayed his concern to Arroyo’s son, Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado “Dato” Arroyo.

* “I’m sure the others have said the same, but you know let’s respect her privacy because at this stage, she really needs privacy, not like we should keep calling her or tell her problems or she might be agitated,” he said.   – With Paolo Romero