Mike Arroyo back from Japan; appears at Sandigan with passport to show proof of travel

‘I HAVE RETURNED’. Former first Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo shows his passport at the Sandiganbayan early Friday as proof of his return from Japan and Hongkong last week. He was with wife Gloria Arroyo on Thursday night before she was brought to the Makai Medical Center where she was examined after experiencing “choking sensations”. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines – Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo, the husband of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, presented himself and his passport before the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division on Friday, a day after after he returned from his trip to Japan.

Arroyo, who was accompanied by his lawyer Edna Batacan, showed his passport to court officials to prove that he went to Japan as he said he would.

Arroyo, along with his wife, is facing electoral sabotage charges and was placed on the immigration watchlist by the government. He was permitted by the court to go to Japan for a week. He left Manila on May 3 and returned home Thursday night.

On his way (back) to the Philippines, he had a stopover in Hong Kong for a “short rest,” Batacan said.

Batacan noted that Arroyo’s return was proof that he has no intention to evade the charges against him.

Asked about his trip, Arroyo said he met with Japanese businessmen who wanted to invest in renewable energy in the Philippines. But he said his trip was not as fruitful as he expected as some investors expressed dismay at the political situation in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Arroyo said he has not been able to talk to his wife since he arrived.

Mrs. Arroyo was taken to the Makati Medical Center on Thursday where she supposedly underwent a medical examination due to, according to a source, “choking sensation” caused by the titanium implant in her neck. She was returned later in the day to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City, where she has been under hospital arrest since November 2011.

“She was asleep when I arrived,” he said, adding that he has yet to discuss Mrs. Arroyo’s condition with her doctor since his return.

Batacan said Mrs. Arroyo’s pain medication has left her drowsy all the time.