Justice Secretery Leila de Lima. INQUIRER file photo
MANILA, Philippines – Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Wednesday the administration would ask the Supreme Court to subpoena the doctors of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to compel them to appear before the high court.
In an interview, De Lima said the Office of the Solicitor General was to file an urgent motion within the day asking the high court to order Arroyo’s doctors to explain her real state of health during the continuation of the oral arguments on Thursday.
The court on Tuesday heard oral arguments by both Arroyo’s lawyers and the Office of the Solicitor General on the former President’s petition questioning the constitutionality of De Lima’s authority to impose travel restrictions on her even before she had been formally charged in court.
“Since her lawyers are invoking her right to life, then the premise is that the condition of the former President is life-threatening,” De Lima told reporters.
“Remember, I denied her application for an allow-departure order because there is no reason for her to immediately leave the country because her condition was not life-threatening according to [Health] Secretary [Enrique] Ona,” she said.
Solicitor General Jose Anselmo Cadiz expressed confidence that Arroyo’s doctors would tell the court their patient’s real physical condition since they may be cited for contempt.
“I have full faith and confidence that the doctors will be very professional,” Cadiz said.