Arroyo defers birthday celebration

PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will most likely celebrate her birthday at St. Luke’s Medical Center depending on the recovery of First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo.

The President, who will be turning 63 on April 5, remains to have fluid schedule due to the health condition of her husband. The First Gentleman has suffered from a heart ailment.

Deputy Presidential spokesperson Gary Olivar said President Arroyo has yet to plan her birthday and it will all be dependent on the condition of her husband at the time of her birthday.

“Monday, that is less than a week from now… hopefully the First Gentleman will be well enough by then… we have to wait on the continuing progress of the First Gentleman’s condition,” Olivar said.

Since he was rushed to the hospital last March 24, Mike Arroyo’s condition continues to improve and remain in stable condition.

The First Gentleman was already transferred to a regular room Tuesday and has been receiving aggressive rehabilitation from the re-dissection of thoracic aorta related to his previous heart bypass in April 2007.

“The prognosis continues to be positive and improvement continuous to be registered by the First Gentleman that’s why he was being transferred to private room,” Olivar said.

With the delicate condition of the First Gentleman, Olivar also said that the schedule of the First Family this Holy Week is still erratic. The First Family traditionally spends Holy Week in Baguio City.

President Arroyo has cancelled all her schedules the entire week to personally attend to the needs of her husband.

She has declined to take a leave of absence and bring her Malacañang duties to the First Gentleman’s suite room in the hospital.

There is also no confirmation if the President will push through with her nation trips next week. She is scheduled to attend the Asean Summit from April 8 to 9 in Hanoi, Vietnam and the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington in the United States of America from April 12 to 13.

“Either to be discharged from the hospital or not the President will be a little more flexible about her travel plans,” Olivar said.

Last year, President Arroyo celebrated her birthday in a simple ceremony at the hometown of her late father Diosdado Macapagal in Lubao Pampanga.

She attended a thanksgiving mass with the First Gentleman and other members of the First Family and graced several social events such as oath taking of 94 members of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Units and launching of “One Town, One Product” bazaar.

The President also led distribution of grocery gift packs to the several indigent families and graced them in the opening of Clark South Interchange of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway. (Jill Beltran/Sunnex)

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