MANILA, Philippines – Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her security convoy left St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig and was on her way to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City.
The seven-car convoy left the basement parking of the private hospital around 3:15 p.m.
Arroyo, on her wheelchair, was seen boarding a white coaster with plate number XCW 641 with former First Gentleman Miguel Arroyo and family at the Medical Arts Building of St. Luke’s.
Arroyo’s spokesperson Helena Bautista Horn said that they weren’t able to leave as scheduled because the police were insisting that the former president be transferred by air despite the bad weather “for security reasons.”
The transfer to VMMC was ordered by Judge Jesus Mupas of Branch 112 of the Pasay City Regional Trial Court.
While Philippine National Police officials were mum on figures of deployed police officers for the former president’s transfer during past interviews, PNP chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome was quoted as saying that they have “enough personnel.”
Arroyo was put under hospital arrest in St. Luke’s after Mupas issued arrest warrants for her and two others – Former Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. and former election supervisor Lintang Bedol – in November for alleged electoral sabotage, a non-bailable offense.
With reports from Karen Boncocan, Matikas Santos
Originally posted at 03:39 pm | Friday, Dec. 9, 2011