FORMER president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo left the Veteran’s Memorial Medical Center where she has been detained since 2012 on Wednesday morning for a six-day furlough granted by the Supreme Court.
Arroyo was fetched from the hospital by her husband, former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, and a few close friends at 8 a.m. and arrived at the Arroyo family residence in La Vista subdivision in Quezon City around 8:20 a.m.
“Mrs. Arroyo was very happy, jolly and in a very light disposition,” said her former lawyer Lorenzo Gadon, who was among those who fetched the former president from the hospital.
“We talked about the traffic [in Metro Manila]and the presidential poll surveys while on our way to La Vista, [but] she told us not to give any political statement.”
Some of Arroyo’s friends, former Cabinet officials and son Mikey were waiting for the former president to arrive at her La Vista residence and they all had breakfast together shortly after they arrived, Gadon said.
On her first day at home, Arroyo had scramble egg, pandesal with butter, marinated boneless milkfish, Vienna sausage, pancake and rice for a breakfast, Gadon said.
Arroyo was “overwhelmed” when son Datu and his wife, and her two grandchildren arrived and embraced her tight, he said.
According to Gadon, Arroyo was planning a Christmas party for her close friends, relatives and former officials on Wednesday night.
The Supreme Court has allowed Arroyo to stay at her residence from 8 a.m. of Dec. 23 until 5 p.m. of Dec. 26, and from 8 a.m. of Dec. 30 until 5 p.m. of Jan. 2, 2016 after the high court suspended further hearing on her plunder case before the Sandiganbayan.
