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Sunday, June 25, 2006
Arroyo back in Malacañang
A DAY after being confined due to an "acute infectious diarrhea due to a viral infection", a "fully recharged" President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo left the St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City Saturday.
Emerging out of her hospital room at about 9:16 a.m. Saturday, Arroyo greeted onlookers at the hospital lobby and motored to Malacañang to sign the death penalty abolition law.
Some "well-wishers" from the University of Manila (UM) sent by Manila Mayor Jose "Lito" Atienza Jr. even violated hospital rules by holding a mini "ati-atihan" parade in the hospital grounds to greet Arroyo, who ended her 35-hour stay there.
The noise stopped briefly after Arroyo emerged at the lobby, smiling and wearing a light-green dress and shaking hands with well-wishers as she got into her limousine.
With her were First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
Government radio reported that bands of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) and Philippine Air Force (PAF) greeted Arroyo at the "Freedom Park" outside the Palace gate.
Some 200 students, which government radio said, were from Manila public colleges, were also there to greet Arroyo, who arrived 15 minutes after leaving St. Luke's Medical Center.
"She's energized, she's recharged," Duque told reporters.
The convoy, composed mostly of Presidential security vehicles and vehicles of Cabinet and local government officials, looked like a victory motorcade of sorts from Quezon City to Manila.
Presidential Management Staff (PMS) head Arthur Yap said early Saturday that Arroyo took a full meal and last-minute tests before being discharged and returning to Malacañang.
He added that Arroyo will definitely push through with her trip to Europe, leaving at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Chief Vidal Querol "downgraded" the alert level to "heightened" as he claimed the threat of terrorist bombings in the metropolis remains.
Querol had declared Metro Manila police on "full alert" Thursday night when Arroyo was rushed to the hospital. Querol said the move was only standard operating procedure.
Last Friday, Arroyo's hospitalization snarled traffic around the Quezon City hospital even as it fueled speculations of a leadership crisis.
But before Arroyo was actually discharged Saturday morning, Presidential guards continued to take over security functions at the hospital, inspecting incoming visitors.
A Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat) team of the Presidential guards even "changed shifts" at 6 a.m. (JMR/Sunnex)
(June 25, 2006 issue)
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