GMA undergoes medical checkup at Makati Medical Center

MANILA, Philippines - Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo underwent a computed tomography (CT) scan at the Makati Medical Center (MMC) yesterday.

The CT scan “was a pre-approved visit authorized and sanctioned by the Pasay City Regional Trial Court (RTC),” according to Eric Nubla, MMC Patient Relations Office director.

Arroyo arrived at MMC from the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) at about 8 a.m. under tight police escort.

Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo visited his mother at about 10 a.m. and left around 1 p.m.

Accompanied by her spokesperson Len Bautista and wearing a neck brace and surgical mask, Arroyo left the hospital in a wheelchair and boarded a waiting coaster at about 4 p.m.

The coaster immediately left, followed by another coaster and two trucks loaded with uniformed police officers.

While waiting to board the coaster at the hospital lobby, Arroyo greeted and waved at hospital visitors and staff for about 10 minutes.

A source inside the hospital said Arroyo also underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test.

Arroyo also asked for a “second opinion” on an unspecified medical condition, the source added.

An MRI is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to visualize internal structures of the body in detail, while a CT scan uses X-rays to create cross-sectional pictures of the body.

Witnesses fail to link GMA to crime

More than six witnesses have failed to link Arroyo to electoral sabotage in the 2007 election after several hearings at the Pasay City RTC.

The witnesses only managed to pin down star witness Norie Unas as the principal in the crime.

Elsa Atinen, Jeehan Nur and Christina de Lope, all municipal election officers in Maguindanao during the May 14, 2007 elections, pointed to Unas as the one behind the tampering of election results in the province on June 15, 2007.

Unas ordered them to copy the entries in the certificates of canvass and statement of votes into new forms inside the Maguindanao provincial capitol, the witnesses said.

Their testimonies contradicted the affidavit of Unas that he did not bother to monitor the details of preparation and the actual conduct of elections.

Unas said he did not have any knowledge of or participation in how the election documents were filled out to ensure the “12-0 win” plan for the pro-administration senatorial candidates.

Another witness of the Commission on Elections said during the resumption of the bail hearings of Arroyo that she was not sure whether the voting results that she tabulated were different from those actually canvassed. – With Perseus Echeminada