Gloria Arroyo moved to VMMC

MANILA, Philippines - Police safely transferred former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from the St. Luke's Medical Center (SLMC) in Taguig City to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City this afternoon.

A white coaster carrying Mrs. Arroyo left the SLMC around 3:30 p.m. and arrived at the VMMC around 4:08 p.m., heavily escorted by a number of police vehicles.

Mrs. Arroyo, who has been detained on electoral sabotage charges, will continue her hospital arrest at the government-owned medical facility, which has been put under heavy police guard.

Arroyo said in a television interview on Thursday that the charges against her are all "demagoguery." She accused President Benigno Aquino III of trying to destroy her reputation.

She is charged with ordering the rigging of 2007 congressional elections but said her conscience is clear.

At the VMMC, Mrs. Arroyo will stay in a presidential suite and would be attended to by the government-owned hospital's doctors, Vicky Javier and Martha Nucum.

The presidential suite was previously used by former President Joseph Estrada during her hospital arrest after being detained on plunder charges in 2001.

Dr. Nona dela Fuente-Legaspi, director of the VMMC, said that the camp of the former president may opt to hire private doctors, but they would have to get to court for permission.

The transfer finally happened after hours of squabble on which mode of transportation should be used in moving the former president to the government hospital.

The PNP had preferred air transfer, but it was shelved due to worsening weather condition in Metro Manila.

As the PNP insisted to fly Mrs. Arroyo to the VMMC, her lawyers and spokespersons went out protesting before the media.

Elena Bautista-Horn, main spokesperson of the former president, said earlier that they suspect that the transfer was deliberately delayed by the government to give anti-Arroyo protesters more time to arrive at the VMMC ahead of Mrs. Arroyo's arrival at the hospital.

Horn said that Mrs. Arroyo was afraid to fly in bad weather, citing a traumatic experience when she was still the president.

She said that they also saw nothing wrong with land transfer, as they see no possible security threat to the president.

Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo had denied the claim. He said that the PNP was just considering the security and safety of the former president and other people in the convoy.

The camp of the former president earlier claimed that there was a plot to kill the former president, but Horn clarified that the information did not include an ambush.

Malacañang, meanwhile, said that it was not correct to say that the transfer was delayed since the Judge Jesus Mupas of the Pasay Regional Trial Court, who hears the electoral sabotage case of Mrs. Arroyo, did not mention a specific time of transfer in his order.

Malacañang spokesperson, Ricky Carandang, said that what's important was that Mrs. Arroyo be moved to the VMMC anytime today.

Mrs. Arroyo was originally ordered by Judge Mupas to transfer to the VMMC on Tuesday, but it was extended to today due to concerns on the former president's health condition.

Mrs. Arroyo has been on hospital arrest since Mupas ordered her arrested on an electoral sabotage charge last November 18. -- with AP