Friends describe Arroyo as ‘very thin’ and moving ‘like a robot’

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Philippines—A close friend of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo described her as being “like a robot,” after paying the ailing former President a visit.

The friend, who asked not to be identified for this article because the visit was a personal one, said Arroyo didn’t appear to be in pain but so many gadgets were attached to her body. The source could not make out what those gadgets were for.

“She was thin. She could walk and she was smiling,” said the source.

Arroyo’s half-sister, Cielo Macapagal-Salgado, said all she was asking for were prayers for Arroyo’s recovery, and for the former President’s critics and supporters alike to give her some space.

“I know it’s going to take some time [for her to get well],” said Salgado, former vice governor of the Macapagals’  home province of Pampanga.

“It’s better to just pray for her and give her space,” Salgado said when asked if she wanted her younger sister to leave the country for stem cell treatment.

Arroyo, now a congressional representative of the province’s second district, has undergone a series of neck surgeries since July 25. She has been recuperating in her house in Quezon City.

Arroyo’s critics suspect that she might use her medical condition to leave the country and escape plunder and other cases expected to be filed against her. Her husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, has been linked to the sale of two used helicopters to the Philippine National Police that had been passed off as brand new.

“I’m waiting for [Arroyo] to let me know I can visit, although she texted to say thanks for the visit, Masses and prayers,” said Salgado, who last saw her sister after her third surgery in early September.

Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, a former official of Arroyo’s party, Lakas-Kampi, said only Arroyo and her doctors know whether it was best for her to undergo treatment in Germany, where her husband reported finding experts in stem cell therapy.

“Maybe, a third or even a fourth opinion is what she needs,” said Pamintuan.

Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda said Arroyo, a close friend, was “not 100 percent well” and described her as “payat na payat (very thin)” when she visited her last month.