GMA RECOVERING WELL AFTER SPINE SURGERY / RAINS DERAILED BICOL EXPRESS
MANILA, AUGUST 2, 2011 (BULLETIN) By FRANCIS T. WAKEFIELD — Former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is recovering well after surgery but remains under tight observation, a doctor from the St. Luke's Hospital at the Global City in Taguig City said Monday.
According to Dr. Juliet Gopez-Cervantes, who read the latest medical bulletin on Mrs. Arroyo, although the surgery on the former Chief Executive can be considered a success, they are not taking any chances and continue to place her under observation.
Cervantes said one of the things they want to avoid is for Mrs. Arroyo to get any infection as a result of last Friday's surgery to repair her damaged cervical spine.
She added that Mrs. Arroyo's blood pressure is also a concern for them.
"The spine surgery on Mrs. Arroyo was successful. No complications. But we are still observing her due to the possibility of infection. We are currently giving her I-V antibiotics because having an infection is very high because of the surgery)," Cervantes said in Filipino.
"Another thing we are guarding is her high blood pressure which increased last Sunday. Her BP went from 140 over 70, 80 to 90," she added.
Mrs. Arroyo was also advised not to watch news on television and to read the papers. They also advised her not to use her cellphone to text people and just relax while she recovers from her surgery.
"Pero pumupuslit pa din ang pangulo sa pagte-text (But the former President still find ways to use her cellphone to text)," Cervantes said. "Pero sa kabila nito.... masunurin pa rin si GMA sa lahat ng utos ng kanyang doktor (But despite this, CGMA is still very obedient to all the advises of her doctors)."
Cervantes said that Mrs. Arroyo cannot still leave the hospital this Thursday although that was the target date for her to return home.
"Di pa sigurado kung makakauwi na siya sa Huwebes.... Yun kasi yung expected date ng pag-uwi niya (She cannot go home this Thursday although that was the target date for her to return home)," she said.
FROM MANILA STANDARD
168 people rescued from sinking ship
THE coast guard and fishermen rescued 168 people who were on board a passenger ship that tilted for three hours before sinking early Sunday in the Visayas, officials said.
The steel-hulled M/V Asia Malaysia was heading to Iloilo from Cebu on an overnight trip when it began to tilt to its right, or starboard side, at dawn Sunday, Coast Guard chief Adm. Ramon Liwag said. The cause of the problem was not immediately clear.
The ship's captain sent a distress call to the Coast Guard and ordered all passengers and his crewmen to abandon the 2,400-ton vessel, which tilted about six kilometers from its destination before sinking amid rain, Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Commander Algier Ricafrente said.
Coast Guard vessels, fishermen and two passenger ships saved 168 passengers and crewmen from the ship, which had a capacity of 550 people, Ricafrente said. It was unclear how many people the M/V Asia Malaysia was carrying.
A Coast Guard helicopter was scouring the area for other possible survivors and to check whether there was an oil slick from the ship, he said.
Although the weather had improved, rain was still battering the area, Ricafrente said.
Weathermen on Sunday said a weather disturbance had intensified into a low-pressure area near Ilocos Sur and was threatening to turn into another tropical storm within the week.
The weather system will bring moderate to heavy rain to the western section of Central and Northern Luzon, including Metro Manila, the weather bureau said.
Tropical Storm Juaning—international name Nock-ten—lashed the central and northeastern Philippines last week, leaving 52 people dead and 27 others missing. AP, with Rio N. Araja
Rains derail Bicol Express by Jeremiah F. de Guzman
THE Bicol Express has stopped running after the floodwaters brought on by the recent storms washed out the ground on portions of the railway, the Philippine National Railways announced Friday.
But the train service running from Tutuban in Manila to Naga will be back on Sept. 1, in time for the Peñatrancia Festival in Naga and the 22nd Ad Congress in Camarines Sur, railways general manager Jun Ragrario said.
"The suspension of service will just be temporary to resolve the threat of a washout in Malaguico," Ragrario said.
Workers will replace the embankment with a concrete bridge. Construction, which is estimated to cost P10 million, will start Monday and be completed in three to four weeks, he said.
"We expect a surge of passengers going to Bicol in September, so we will make sure that the Bicol Express will be back and running by that time and that there will be no more problems on the tracks," Ragrario said. Two more trains will be added to accommodate Bicol-bound passengers.
Twenty second-hand coaches worth P200 million, donated by East Japan Railway Co., are set for delivery next month, Ragario said.
The Bicol Express will offer twice-daily trips using tourist-class coaches with reclining seats and in-coach movie and sound systems, as well as a dining car with first-class amenities.
The 378-kilometer train system going to Naga ceased operations in 2006 due to typhoon damage. The service resumed June 29, but again was suspended on July 27 after heavy rain battered the region.
The previous administration rehabilitated a third of the railway, and the Aquino administration has said it will do the rest. The PNR earmarked P1.8 billion to rehabilitate the line and P250 million to acquire new trains.
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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