Emergency operation on Arroyo may last until noon

Doctors expect to finish a second surgery on former President and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo by noon or 1 p.m. Wednesday. Radio dzBB's Manny Vargas reported that Mrs. Arroyo's doctors were scheduled to start preparing the former Philippine leader for the operation at 7 a.m. and start the actual operation at 8 a.m. Members of the former First Family were at the St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig City since Tuesday night although they were not visible to media as of Wednesday morning, the same report said.

Mrs. Arroyo, who faces a string of graft and plunder charges, stayed Tuesday night at the hospital for another operation to correct a condition caused by a displaced titanium implant in her spine. She had undergone an initial operation to correct a condition in her spine in late July. The dzBB report quoted Mrs. Arroyo's physician Juliet Cervantes as saying that while the Pampanga lawmaker's present condition is not life-threatening, it has caused her difficulty in breathing and swallowing. Watch list On Tuesday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima formally ordered the Bureau of Immigration to place Mrs. Arroyo on its watch list. De Lima issued Watch List Order No. 2011-422 on the basis that Mrs. Arroyo has three plunder complaints against her pending before the Department of Justice (DOJ). The suits stemmed from the alleged anomalous sale of the old Iloilo airport property in 2007, the P550-million allegedly misused welfare funds for migrant workers, and the P1.6 billion supposedly diverted to her campaign fund in the 2004 presidential elections. A subject of a watch list order must first seek the government's clearance before leaving the country. On the other hand, an individual who a hold departure order issued against him or her is automatically barred from leaving the country. The watch list order against Mrs. Arroyo is effective for 60 days. — RSJ, GMA News