Arroyo back in hospital detention after Christmas furlough

Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is now back in hospital detention after spending four days at home for a Christmas furlough granted by the Sandiganbayan.

Reports said Arroyo, now Pampanga representative detained for plunder, arrived at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) at 2:17 p.m. Friday from her residence in La Vista Subdivision, Quezon City.

The Sandiganbayan First Division granted Arroyo a furlough from December 23 to 26 citing the spirit of “mercy and compassion” during the Yuletide season, especially in light of the upcoming visit of Pope Francis in January 2015.

Arroyo initially asked for a 12-day furlough from December 23, 2014, to January 3, 2015.

“After a serious deliberation and considering the afore-cited reasons of accused movant coupled by the dissenting opinion… in this case that ‘there is no strong evidence that ill-gotten wealth was amassed, accumulated or acquired by any of the accused as in fact the existence of such ill-gotten wealth was not clearly established.’

“And in light of the forthcoming visit of His Holiness Pope Francis, who is the personification of mercy and compassion, over the objection of the prosecution, the Court is inclined to partially grant the motion by allowing her to celebrate Christmas with her family…” the court’s resolution read.

The court also granted Arroyo a furlough after the death of her grandson Jorge Alonzo “Jugo” Arroyo-Bernas, the one-year-old son of her daughter Luli. The boy died of congenital heart disease in November.

Arroyo is under hospital detention for plunder charges for allegedly using for personal gain the P366 million in intelligence funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) from 2008 to 2010.

The former president is confined at the VMMC as she claimed to be suffering from cervical spondylosis, a degenerative disease of the bones and cartilage of the neck.

Arroyo had also complained of “generalized body weakness, persistent pain over the nuchal and left shoulder with numbness of both hands and frequent episodes of choking,” according to the VMMC.

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