Arroyo, not doctors, to decide when to travel— spokesman

MANILA, Philippines—Former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will decide on her own, regardless of her doctors’ advice, whether to travel or not, her spokesman said Friday.

Lawyer Raul Lambino, who speaks for the former president on legal matters, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the final decision whether to fly abroad would be made solely by Arroyo and not her doctors.

“She is resting well and she does not need her doctors’ advice whether she would travel or not,” said Lambino.

The Arroyo camp declared on Thursday that it would wait for the results of the Supreme Court’s session on Friday before deciding whether to make another attempt to leave the country.

Arroyo decided to take a long rest at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig to recover from the stress of Tuesday afternoon’s standoff at the airport when Aquino administration officials barred her and her party from departing despite a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court lifting travel restrictions  imposed by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.