De Lima wants to ‘hear from the horse’s mouth’ true state of Arroyo’s health

JUSTICE Secretary Leila de Lima, through the Office of the Solicitor General, has asked the Supreme Court in an urgent motion to summon Arroyo’s doctors to the continuation today of the oral arguments on the constitutionality of DoJ Circular No. 41 which stopped the former president from traveling abroad.

De Lima  petitioned the court for the attendance of Dr. Mario Ver, active consultant of Institute of Orthopedic and Sports Medicine, St. Luke’s Medical Center- Global City; Dr. Juliet Gopez-Cervantes, Arroyo’s main attending physician also from St. Luke’s Medical Center-Global City; Dr. Roberto Mirasol, also from the same hospital.

“Our position on that is if she would invoke right to life, she should first establish the premise that her condition is life threatening. Remember, one of the reasons why I denied her request for ADO (allow departure order) was the findings of Health Secretary (Enrique) Ona that her condition was not life-threatening,” she explained.

The motion for the physicians' attendance stemmed from the argument of Arroyo’s lawyer Anacleto Diaz during the oral argument the other day that DoJ’s Circular No. 41 violated not just her constitutional right to travel, but also her right to life.

De Lima said that Arroyo cannot invoke her right to life in questioning the legality of the watchlist order (WLO) preventing her from leaving the country to seek medical treatment abroad.

What Arroyo should do first, according to the DoJ chief, is to prove that her condition is really life-threatening before she could invoke such constitutional right.

De Lima expressed belief that it would be necessary for the SC to first determine Arroyo’s “true condition” that’s why her doctors should face the justices in today’s hearing.

“This is also relevant to the issue on hospital arrest, which will be tackled in the RTC (regional trial court) on Friday. I think the public prosecutors would suggest to the court to call the doctors of the former president to enlighten, appraise and inform the court and the public on the true state of her health,” she stressed.

Meanwhile, De Lima claimed the non-issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the consolidated petitions of the Arroyo couple and former Comelec Chair Benjamin Abalos questioning the legality of her indictment for electoral sabotage in the 2007 national elections in Mindanao was a vindication for her.

She said it only proved she was right in not immediately following the earlier TRO issued by the court enjoining her office from implementing the WLO against.

What’s up, docs?

Let the doctors speak!

Thus said Malacañang, pointing out that the doctors of Arroyo could prove that the latter's ailment is life threatening.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told Palace reporters in his regular press briefing that the testimony of the doctors is "necessary" to determine the "propriety" of Arroyo’s petition to stay in the hospital while her case is being heard and her request to travel abroad to seek medical treatment.

Lacierda even said that Mrs. Arroyo's doctors should be called to testify in court.

"Bakit sila natatakot [na] ang doktor nila ang magsalita? Kung kayo ay nagsasabi na may sakit ang aming kliyente, ano ang dapat na pruweba na ilalabas? Hindi ang spokesperson. Hindi ang tagapagsalita. Ang dapat magpatunay ‘yung mismong doktor nila. So ang hamon ko sa kanila, ilabas nila ‘yung doktor. Ilabas ang doktor at siya ang magpatunay na talagang life-threatening ang medical condition ng kanilang pasyente," Lacierda said.   With Efren Montano