Arroyo no-show fuels more speculation about condition

MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo did not show up as expected at a ceremony on Monday, adding to the controversy surrounding her medical condition and fueling criticism that Malacañang has not been forthright about her health. Mrs. Arroyo was scheduled to grace a ceremonial signing of a law at the Philippine Stock Exchange office in Makati City. But a memorandum signed by PSE president Francisco Lim stated that Mrs. Arroyo canceled her scheduled appearance. It did not state the reason for the cancellation. The President has not been seen in public since she checked into the Asian Hospital and Medical Center in Muntinlupa City on June 30 for what Malacañang claimed was a self-imposed quarantine after a 13-day foreign travel, in line with swine-flu control guidelines of the Department of Health. The Malacañang press office had announced on July 4 that Mrs. Arroyo would resume her work on Monday after checking out of the hospital last July 2 with doctors saying she had been cleared of A(H1N1) virus infection. “Four days after checking out of the Asian Hospital and Medical Center for a self-imposed quarantine, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will be back to her usual tough grind starting Monday as she accommodates several engagements she missed while in the hospital," the Malacañang announcement stated. Still on quarantine But when she failed to resume work on Monday, deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo claimed that the President was still on self-quarantine in the Palace. “One week talaga ang sabi niya sa appointments office, which means na ngayon matatapos ‘yon. Kaya lahat ng activities niya for the week, including today were canceled," Fajardo told reporters, essentially contradicting the official statement quoted above. [She told the appointments office that the quarantine would last for a week, which means that it will end today. Thus all her activities for the week, including today were canceled.]
The official reason for her absence began to unravel when the Manila Bulletin reported last July 2 that Arroyo had a breast biopsy. The next day, Philippine Star columnist Jarius Bondoc wrote that the President checked in at the hospital for a “mammoplastic repair of her leaking breast implants done in the 80s," which Press Secretary Cerge Remonde at first denied, laughing it off as a problem only movie stars would have. On July 3, Malacañang finally acknowledged that Mrs. Arroyo had undergone breast and groin biopsies and that the lumps found in said areas were benign. Lying? The revelation and flip-flopping over the real reason for the President’s hospitalization have led to charges of lying to the public about the chief executive's medical condition. “The President’s state of health is public domain as it directly affects her capacity to lead and make crucial decisions. Malacañang should be straightforward rather than rely on poorly-informed spin-doctors to mislead the public," said Dr. Geneve Rivera, secretary-general of the Health Alliance for Democracy. Article VII, Section 12 of the 1987 Constitution states that: “In case of serious illness of the President, the public shall be informed of the state of his health." It’s not clear whether it was a “case of serious illness." But doctors reportedly gave the President a clean bill of health. Remonde told GMANews.TV that “she’s in the Palace. She’s okay." Fajardo said on Monday that the Palace had no intention to hide the President's health condition. However, she said some things should be kept private. “May mga [There are] sensitive and private issues, especially as a woman, na medyo mahirap pag-usapan [that are difficult to talk about]. Sana maintindihan ng publiko yun [I hope the public will understand that]," Fajardo said. “(W)hile it is important for the public to know the health of the President, may mga sensitive matter pa rin na siguro naman a little delicadeza would not hurt [there are still sensitive matters that perhaps a little delicadeza would not hurt," she added. President Arroyo is expected to finally resume her regular work schedule on Tuesday, July 7, starting with a Cabinet meeting, according to Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III. If she shows up this time, it will end a seven-day absence from the public eye, one of the longest absences of her presidency. Bello said the Cabinet meeting would tackle among other pressing affairs of state the President's State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27 and the Cotabato bombing. - AR Sabangan, GMANews.TV