SQUARELY/ GMA'S DOCTORS TO 'STICK TO TRUTH'
MANILA, NOVEMBER 25,
2011 (STAR) By Paolo Romero - Former first gentleman Jose
Miguel Arroyo (photo) said yesterday he would face any investigation of the
Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the alleged anomalous sale of
secondhand helicopters to the Philippine National Police (PNP) in 2009.
"I'll face all these investigations squarely. I'm confident that I'll be
exonerated," Arroyo told The STAR.
He maintained his innocence, saying he had divested in 2001 his entire
holdings in LTA Inc., the reported lessee of the helicopters.
Arroyo, however, said his lawyers could not plot their next move since they
have yet to receive a copy of the recommendation of a special panel of
investigators from the Office of the Ombudsman.
"All I read in newspapers is that they want me be to charged for graft, but
for what?" he said.
Meanwhile, sources told The STAR that the charges to be filed against Arroyo
could be upgraded to plunder, depending on the findings of the Commission on
Audit (COA).
COA's findings will determine if a supplemental report will be submitted to
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales recommending changes in the 98-page report
that found sufficient evidence to charge Arroyo with graft, sources said.
It has to be established that Arroyo conspired with government and PNP
officials in amassing, accumulating or acquiring ill-gotten wealth "through a
combination or series of overt or criminal acts," before he could be charged
with plunder, sources said.
"COA must show the money trail through audited documents," a source said,
noting that COA was asked to do a comprehensive study of the P62.6-million
transaction in 2009.
A fact-finding panel said Arroyo was the real owner of the aircraft that were
sold to the PNP.
"FG's acts can be characterized as part of an orchestrated fraudulent act as
required to prove a person's participation in a felonious conspiracy," the
investigating team's report said.
As this developed, Senate Blue Ribbon committee chairman Sen. Teofisto
Guingona III called on Arroyo not to leave the country and face the charges
against him.
"I urge Mr. Arroyo to stay in the country to face the allegations against
him. He should be present in the preliminary investigation of this case if he
wishes to avoid speculations that he intends to evade prosecution," Guingona
said in a statement.
Sen. Franklin Drilon for his part called on the Office of the Ombudsman to
speed up the conduct of preliminary investigation into the chopper deal so that
charges could be immediately filed.
Drilon said this is to ensure that hold departure orders (HDO) can be issued
against Arroyo and his co-accused.
The Ombudsman panel also recommended the filing of graft charges against
former interior secretary Ronaldo Puno; former PNP chief Jesus Verzosa; Manila
Aerospace Products Trading Corp. president Hilario de Vera; National Police
Commission members Avelino Razon, Miguel Coronel and Celia Sandad-Leones; and
director Conrado Sumanga Jr.; and 28 other PNP officers and personnel.
Guingona and Drilon lauded the move of Morales to approve the investigation
report, saying it is a "major gain in our people's quest for justice."
Meanwhile, the panel tasked to conduct a preliminary investigation into the
chopper deal – composed of directors Manuel Soriano, Omar Sagadal and Dennis
Garcia – were given two months to finish their job. With
Michael Punongbayan, Christina Mendez
FROM MANILA BULLETIN
'We'll stick to truth' GMA doctors assure as they prepare to
testify By DAVID CAGAHASTIAN and FRANCIS T. WAKEFIELD November 24,
2011, 1:59pm
MANILA, Philippines — The doctors of former President and now
Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will testify on her medical condition if
asked to do so by the courts or the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. St. Luke's
Medical Center Vice President for Corporate Affairs Marilen Lagniton assured
this Thursday as she said Mrs. Arroyo's doctors will "stick to the truth" when
asked to testify on the former Chief Executive's condition which she claimed
necessitates her treatment abroad.
Lagniton, however, gave two conditions before doctors could disclose a full
report of the patient's status: 1) The patient agrees to the release of the
medical report; and 2) A court order for the medical records' release.
"Unless the patient will have consent or will agree to it and there will be a
Court order, the medical records will not be released... We are bound by patient
confidentiality," she said.
Lagniton said Arroyo's doctors are also willing to face a Senate inquiry
should they be summoned to explain the condition of the former Chief Executive.
Earlier, the leadership of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) said that
they are mulling the creation of a team to examine the medical condition of
former President Arroyo who has been placed under arrest after a case of
electoral sabotage was filed against her before a Pasay City Regional Trial
Court.
The PMA said the team will be formed after lawyers and representatives of
Mrs. Arroyo claimed that there are no qualified doctors in the country capable
of treating her.
Malacañang also asked Mrs. Arroyo's doctors to speak out regarding her true
condition.
Doctors of Mrs. Arroyo continues to monitor her condition after medical tests
showed that she is suffering from pain in her cervical spine.
Mrs. Arroyo has also been under bed rest in the last 48 hours.
Dr. Juliet Cervantes, Arroyo's personal physician, had earlier said that Mrs.
Arroyo will have to stay in the hospital for a few more weeks as she is
suffering from hypoparathyroid disease.
Cervantes said Mrs. Arroyo has not been eating properly and has been very
weak due to stress.
Mrs. Arroyo is also under intravenous or (IV) intake to supply her
nutritional needs due to anorexia, an eating disorder characterized by refusal
to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) had earlier asked the Pasay RTC to
summon Mrs. Arroyo's doctors to determine whether she indeed needs to remain
under hospital arrest.
Likewise, prosecutors also sought the testimony of Arroyo's doctors before
the Supreme Court after he camp claimed that the procedure required to treat her
could not be done in the Philippines because of lack of facilities, and the
absence of doctors who can do it.
However, a source said that one of Arroyo's doctors confirmed that her
condition is not life-threatening to require treatment abroad, adding she is now
on her way to recovery.
The Arroyo doctor, whose name was withheld, revealed this vital information
to a ranking police official, who declined to be identified as he is not
authorized to talk about the case.
In a letter to a ranking government official, a copy of which was obtained by
the Manila Bulletin, the police official said that the physical ailments earlier
voiced out by the former President have already been addressed as disclosed by
the doctor.
Arroyo's complaints such as pain on her neck, lower back, and left legs could
be healed by simple physical therapy.
It has also been determined that Arroyo's drastic weight loss is caused by
anorexia, secondary to stress.
To end all speculations, Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona Thursday suggested
that Arroyo's doctors release a medical bulletin.
Ona said the medical bulletin may also be issued by St. Luke's Medical
Center, explaining the true condition of the former President.
"The public hears a lot from her lawyers. I think it is better if a medical
bulletin is issued by her doctors or by the hospital. Also, we must not make our
own interpretations," Ona said.
To avoid breach of doctor-patient confidentiality, Ona said the patient must
agree with the report that will be released by the doctors or the hospital.
Ona also said that a person who underwent a major operation is usually prone
to depression or a period of anxiety.
"As a doctor, we know the so-called psychological effects other than the
so-called recuperation. It is very natural for a person who had a major
operation to experience depression or a period of anxiety. If a person becomes
seriously ill, that person begins to think about vulnerability because the
patient passes through that period where he or she could have really died… The
person becomes inactive upon waking up or feels weak." (With
a report from Czarina Nicole O. Ong, Jenny F. Manongdo, and Jean
Fernando)
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2011 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All
rights reserved
PHILIPPINE
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