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Friday, October 31, 2008
Bolante 'stable but needs rest'
MANILA -- First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo went to the St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City early Thursday morning, but denied he was visiting former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn "Joc-Joc" Bolante.
Accompanied by his bodyguards, Arroyo arrived at the hospital around 7 a.m., clad in jogging pants and a blue shirt. Bolante, tagged as the architect of the P728-million fertilizer fund scam, remains under "hospital arrest."
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Arroyo's cardiologist, Romeo Saavedra, is attending to Bolante.
Doctors on Thursday described Bolante's condition as "stable and normal" but said he will need further testing to deal with the hardening of blood vessels in his heart and his weight loss.
When admitted last Tuesday night after being deported from the US, Bolante was complaining of chest pains and general weakness, and his blood pressure was fluctuating.
"We want to make sure that in the next few days, when he's going to engage in stressful activities, that these will not be detrimental to his health," said Bolante's doctor.
Saavedra said full results of all the tests on Bolante would probably be released on Monday.
Aside from the CT scan and electrocardigraphy, the controversial former agriculture official was also subjected to abdominal X-Ray.
Bolante will also undergo peptic ulcer check-ups Friday, Saavedra said, adding that his patient has a history of peptic ulcer.
Asked if Bolante can handle a Senate inquiry, Saavedra said it will depend on the results of their further tests. In the meantime though, his patient needs to be confined.
In a radio interview, Arroyo said he went to the hospital for a rehabilitation session and not to visit Bolante. "It's nothing new for me to be coming here two times a week. I'm recovering very fast. I'm following my doctor's orders," he said.
Arroyo is undergoing rehabilitation sessions every Tuesday and Thursday after suffering a heart ailment and undergoing surgery at the same hospital last year.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said it was just a coincidence that the first gentleman and Bolante were in the same hospital.
She urged the public to have faith and to give the Office of the Ombudsman a chance to proceed with its investigation.
Bolante was rushed to hospital upon his arrival from the United States on Tuesday night, when he complained of chest pains. At least eight Senate security officers now guard his hospital room.
Bolante fled to the US in 2006, allegedly to evade a Senate inquiry. US immigration authorities, however, arrested him after his visa was cancelled by the US Embassy in Manila, and he was detained at the Kenosha County Detention Center in Wisconsin state.
After US courts rejected his bid for asylum, he returned to the country.
Bolante became controversial when he allegedly funneled P728 million worth of fertilizer funds to President Gloria Arroyo's election campaign kitty in 2004.(AH/JMR/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Davao. (October 31, 2008 issue)
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