Gloria Arroyo surgery postponed due to fever

The surgery to correct a pinched nerve on former President and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s spine scheduled this week will be postponed after she developed a fever last night, her doctors said Monday. A medical bulletin released by Mrs. Arroyo’s doctors from the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City said they decided to wait for the former President’s temperature to normalize before pushing through with the operation. "While there is no contraindication to going ahead with surgery, we want to make sure fever is gone before proceeding with surgery," the medical bulletin read. Mrs. Arroyo’s doctors likewise said they have already tested the former Philippine leader for possible infections that caused the fever, but all tests yielded negative results. The former President’s doctors said that they hope Mrs. Arroyo’s surgery can be performed "in the next few days." Mrs. Arroyo underwent cervical spine surgery last July 29 at the St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig City where titanium implants and bone substitute were used to rebuild her spine. The former President had to undergo revision surgery last August 10 after doctors found out that the implants had been dislodged due to Mrs. Arroyo’s “inherent bone problem." Mrs. Arroyo is currently facing three plunder complaints filed with the Department of Justice (DOJ) — one stemming from the alleged anomalous sale of the old Iloilo airport property in 2007, another from the P550-million allegedly misused welfare funds for migrant workers, and third from the P1.6 billion supposedly diverted to her campaign fund in the 2004 presidential elections. DOJ chief Leila De Lima has already placed Mrs. Arroyo on its travel watch list due to the plunder cases, meaning the former President needs to seek DOJ clearance first before leaving the country. Two other plunder complaints related to the alleged misuse of funds from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) have also been filed against Mrs. Arroyo before the Office of the Ombudsman. — RSJ, GMA News