MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATED) Lawyer Jessca Lucila “Gigi” Reyes was not able to attend her scheduled hearing before anti-graft court Sandiganbayan on Friday, July 11, after doctors did not allow her to push through with the travel from Taguig to Quezon City.

Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) National Capital Region (NCR) spokesman Inspector Aris Villaester said Reyes was still “unstable” based on doctors’ assessment.

Doctors earlier said they were still monitoring Reyes since her symptoms might “progress.” As of Friday morning, Villaester said Reyes was still hooked up to an intravenous drip. “Palaging tulog,” he added. (She’s always asleep) 

Reyes, the former chief of staff of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, is accused of stealing millions of pesos in the “pork barrel scam.” Unlike other public officials involved in the scam, however, Reyes is detained at a Taguig city jail.

Senators Bong Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada are in the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center inside Camp Crame while Enrile is confined at the PNP General Hospital inside the same camp.

Reyes’ lawyers said she had an anxiety attack after being transferred, prompting jail officials to rush her to the Taguig Pateros District Hospital. Doctors who attended to her said she complained of palpitations that lasted for an hour.

Her lawyer Analecto Diaz said it was the jail itself that triggered Reyes’ sudden panic attacks. “The stimuli precisely is the facility itself,” he told the court. Reyes is now asking the court to reconsider its earlier decision rejecting her motion to be moved to Camp Crame’s custodial center.

Conversant, but not eating

The Taguig hospital on Friday issued a medical bulletin on Reyes’ status. In a signed document given to media and the BJMP, Reyes’ attending physician cardiologist Anthony Lontoc said Reyes “denies lightheadedness and headache that she initially claimed.”

Doctors said Reyes no longer had palpitations and that her back pain had since improved. “She can sit on bed and more conversant (sic),” the doctor said.

But Reyes, who had a blood pressure of 110/70 and had an “unremarkable” physical and neurological examination, still reported a “loss of appetite” and dizziness from walking to the comfort room. Reyes takes two medicines primarily administered for hypertension – Enalapril and Atenolol.

Enrile, who has “unstable hypertension” pushed through with his arraignment before the court Friday while the scam’s alleged mastermind Janet Lim Napoles was also brought to the court from a detention center in Laguna province. – Rappler.com