Mike Arroyo opposes regular jail for former president, claims poor health

Former first Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/Inquirer

The husband of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Thursday bristled at suggestions that she be transferred to a regular jail, stressing that she continues to be in ill health.

Jose Miguel Arroyo said the former President, who is under hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center while undergoing trial for the non-bailable crime of electoral sabotage, still finds it hard to eat and needs medical care.
Arroyo said his wife has been finding hard to eat and has been in need of special medical care.

“She’s still not eating. She’s undergoing therapy everyday. I think’s it’s twice a day,” he told reporters at the Sandiganbayan, where he has been contesting his graft case over the allegedly anomalous sale of helicopters to the Philippine National Police.

The former President has been operated on for problems with her spine. She also contracted shingles earlier.

Asked about statements that the former President should be in a regular detention cell, Arroyo said the electoral sabotage case against his wife was not even strong.

“Their witness was all hearsay, so their evidence was very weak. Then they want to put her in a detention cell. What’s wrong with them?” he said.

He said later that given the weakness of the case against his wife, she should be granted bail instead.

President Benigno Aquino’s spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, said the former President should be in jail if all was well with her.

The former president, who is also the incumbent representative of Pampanga, has a pending petition to be allowed to post bail in her electoral sabotage case.

She is also facing graft charges before the Sandiganbayan in connection with the controversial national broadband network deal, but these are all bailable offenses.

Originally posted at 06:07 pm | Thursday, June 21,  2012