GMA camp warns De Lima

MANILA, Philippines — The camp of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Friday warned Department of Justice (DoJ) Secretary Leila de Lima that she will be held responsible for any adverse development on the health of the former leader should she continue delaying approval of her medical trip.

“If something happens to the health of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, only Justice Sec. Leila de Lima is to blame and no one else,” said a member of the legal team of former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo.

It is inhumane for De Lima to refuse to allow Mrs. Arroyo to seek medical treatment abroad as she is not in a position to assess whether the former President’s medical condition indeed does not require her to undergo treatment abroad, Mr. Arroyo’s legal team said.

“Since w hen did Sec. De Lima become a doctor,” the legal team asked in reaction to the DoJ secretary’s pronouncement that she sees no immediate need for GMA to seek medical treatment abroad.

Santos pointed out that the St. Luke’s Medical Center has confirmed that Mrs. Arroyo needs a bone biopsy which can’t be done here in the country.

“If that isn’t an immediate need for Secretary De Lima, then what is it? That the former President can no longer get up from bed or walk? God forbid, but if the delay in that bone biopsy severely affects the former President’s health, will Sec. De Lima accept responsibility,” the legal team asked.

The legal team said the former President and her husband have gone back and forth to several countries since she bowed out of office but they have always returned.

“Their children and grandchildren are here. She is a duly elected congresswoman of Pampanga and the Philippines is her only country. We have been regularly seeing their lawyers in media,” he said.

“What else could be a more valid basis to stop them from leaving, and depriving them of their constitutional right to travel,” the legal team asked.

Bishops favor Arroyo travel

While De Lima remains in a dilemma whether to finally allow Mrs. Arroyo to travel, Caloocan City Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) favors the former leader undergoing medical treatment abroad on the condition that she guarantees her return to the country

Iniguez, chairman of the Public Affairs Committee of the CBCP, said he is in favor that Arroyo seek medical treatment abroad, especially if it’s not available in the country.

But, he said, the camp of the former President should guarantee her return to remove suspicions that she is only using her medical condition to evade criminal prosecution by going abroad.

“There should be guarantee of her return,” said Iñiguez.

Former CBCP president and retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz also favors Arroyo seeking medical treatment abroad as her condition might only worsen.

“If her sickness becomes fatal, (Leila) De Lima gets all the blame and GMA becomes some kind of a martyr,” he said

“To this day, she retains the right to travel,” added Cruz.