THE authorities dismissed talk of a plot to kill former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo purportedly dubbed “Put the Little Girl to Sleep,” but they are not taking any chances when she is transferred to the hospital built for military veterans.

The Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City has bullet-proof windows, said Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse M. Robredo.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Nicanor A. Bartolome said security will also be very tight in the hospital compound with visitors needing to pass several layers of security checks before they can enter the 120-square-meter presidential suite which is furnished with a sofa and three dining tables that seat 10 guests each.

Both Robredo and Bartolome said they have ordered the validation of the alleged anti-Arroyo plot exposed by her camp and described by the Palace as a mere “figment of imagination” aimed at getting sympathy for the embattled former president.

PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Agrimero A. Cruz Jr. said they plan to install some closed-circuit television cameras outside the presidential suite and other strategic areas in the VMMC as part of the security measure. “But definitely, we will not install CCTV cameras inside the presidential suite. That’s a no-no,” Cruz said.

The fully air-conditioned suite has six rooms: one for the patient, another for a companion, a dining room, a kitchen and rooms for staff and security. It also has a reception area and several bathrooms.

Gen. Bartolome said they will ban cell phones, computers and other communication gadgets and  devices. Police will also impose a visiting schedule. Unauthorized weapons and persons will also be banned in the area and those found carrying illegal guns in the compound will be immediately arrested and jailed.

The ex-president will be allowed to bring her own bed if her condition requires it. Her camp earlier complained that the bed in the executive suite is manually-operated and needs to be replaced by one that can be operated with the use of push buttons.

Robredo said it is highly unlikely that Mrs. Arroyo will be allowed by the court to use or walk around the golf course near the hospital.

The DILG chief also hinted that Mrs. Arroyo may be allowed to hold “small parties” at the VMMC premises particularly this coming Christmas and New Year so long as such gatherings will not threaten security in the area.             

“The security preparations will be discussed later. If it is a small party and it does not violate the PNP security protocols, I don’t think we will prohibit that,” Robredo said.