'Unhappy' Arroyo camp pins hopes on SC

Admitting it is "unhappy" with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima's decision not to allow former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to seek medical help abroad, the former Philippine leader's camp is pinning its hopes on the Supreme Court. In a radio interview Tuesday, Mrs. Arroyo's spokesperson Elena Bautista-Horn said they are hoping the high court would see the urgency of their legal move contesting the watch list order on the former leader. "Hindi kami natuwa sa decision. (Pero) naiangat na namin ang issue before the Supreme Court. We are hoping matitingnan ito," Bautista-Horn said over dzBB radio. On Tuesday afternoon, De Lima announced she rejected Mrs. Arroyo's request to seek treatment abroad, saying she is not convinced of any exceptional reason to grant the request. But Bautista-Horn said it appears that the Aquino administration wants Mrs. Arroyo to be near death before it allows her to seek medical treatment abroad. "Parang gusto nila mamamatay na siya (It seems they want to wait until she is near death)," she said. She added Mrs. Arroyo has lost her appetite and weighs only 46 kilos. "Mag-aantay ba tayo hanggang di na kaya ng kanyang katawan para siya bumiyahe (Will we wait until Arroyo is not even fit to travel before allowing her to go)?" she said. For now, Bautista-Horn said they are "hoping" the high court will see the urgency of their petition. "Sana makita nila ang kahalagahan ng kaso na ito (We hope the high court will see the significance of our request)," she said. — RSJ, GMA News