Arroyo confined in VMMC

MANILA, Philippines – Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo spent the night at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) due to acute pain, her spokesperson told GMA News on Friday, August 3.

Mrs Arroyo’s spokesperson, Elena Bautista Horn, said she was brought to the VMMC due to acute cervical and lumbar pain.

This is connected to her difficulty in swallowing, another Arroyo ally said in an interview with GMA News. Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo said the former president forced herself to swallow food that she initially couldn’t.

Her doctors reportedly advised her to take complete bed rest.

In June, Rappler reported that Mrs Arroyo chokes due to a previous operation, making it difficult for her even to swallow a Communion host. One of her private doctors described this condition as life-threatening, while her doctors at the VMMC did not make a similar claim.

Mrs Arroyo, who is out on bail, might need surgery abroad due to this life-threatening ailment, her allies told the media in May.

Upon her release, Mrs Arroyo immediately went to Tagaytay to seek alternative treatment for her condition. Later, the Pampanga representative returned to Congress for the first time in 8 months. (Watch more in the video below.)

She is set to vote against the Reproductive Health bill in a crucial session on August 7.

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• Sandiganbayan: Why was Arroyo released?
• Arroyo bail: Forgive and forget?
• Arroyo, 9 others charged with plunder
• Comelec broke rules to charge Arroyo
• Graft court summons Arroyo doctors
• Court stops plunder hearing vs Arroyo
• Witness vs Arroyo credible, says Comelec