I Visited PGMA

A few days ago, I had a two-hour chat with former President Arroyo in her hospital room at the Veterans Memorial hospital in Quezon City. Unfortunately, I cannot write about what we talked about considering that she is not allowed, under her detention rules, to give interviews to media, among other prohibitions. It is not even allowed to take photos with her, how she looks or the interiors of her room where she had been “confined” (detained, is more appropriate) for sometime now. I had to leave my cell phone with the guard and my ever-present Ipad in my car before entering the corridor leading to her room.  She is not allowed to communicate with the outside world through phone or the internet.

I could not even write about the circumstances surrounding the  surprise “Christmas gift” she received when suddenly  just before Christmas,  a new prohibition was imposed: her family  was  prohibited from staying overnight with her. Yes, she got a reprieve on this for Christmas Eve only but when it extended to Christmas day, her guards were subjected forthwith to an investigation, I gathered from someone.  She graciously refused to confirm or deny this when I asked.

All I can properly disclose that may not violate the detention rules is that she has busied herself writing her memoirs and it is still work in progress. She was trying to piece together my own work in Malacañang for her book and for the first time, she realized that I had the privilege of serving her as president in six (6) different positions during her 9-year administration as Medco chair, government panel peace panel chair, presidential adviser on the peace process, press secretary, chief presidential legal counsel and MINDA chair. I recalled how I was able to handle Mindanao with full authority and confidence from her and how she was very particular about respecting with great sensitivity the ARMM autonomy.   She took down notes as we reminisced. I told her: “Up to now Ma’am, I am not sure whether I was so good that you allowed me to handle all six positions or I was not good enough to stay so I had to be periodically moved.” We just laughed together.

She even refused, when I started asking, to even comment one way or the other on her pending case (conspiracy to commit plunder) on the Sweepstakes office (PCSO) case where her participation in the alleged corruption charge was merely a marginal notation “ok” on the document requesting for funds which was required of her under regulations. I gathered earlier that she had no involvement in subsequent actions on the said fund done by the PCSO board as confirmed by a prosecution witness who admitted in open court that except for the “ok” marginal note, there was no other evidence against her.        I gathered earlier that her motion for reconsideration for bail is still awaiting ruling from the Sandiganbayan. Of course, we do not wish to comment one way or the other on “sub judice” matters that are left for the Court to decide.  All we have to do now is wait.

During my 2-hour visit, highlighted by some generous helping of spaghetti and fresh juice, I was trying to look for signs to confirm doctors’ recent findings that she was “deteriorating” and a government doctor’s assessment that such “irreversible and progressive developments may cause impairment of her health and danger to her life”. However, I could not report here what I noticed because her detention rules would not allow it.

Neither would she confirm or deny that her two-hour sunning rights for the day was cut to one hour although her doctors recommended 2 hours due to her precarious Vitamin D level resulting to her serious bone disorder.  When my wife Beth and I visited her several months ago, we gathered that she was barred from attending mass at the nearby chapel. I did not bother ask her this time about it, since the recent trend showed that she was even being subjected to more restrictions.

I felt some glee in my heart that for a short while, we reminisced about our lighter moments together. But as soon as I stepped out of the hospital room, I felt a heavy heart seeing my former boss who gave her best to serve the country and the people, now undergoing these unusual travails that even ordinary mortals, similarly situated,   do not deserve.