Former Philippine President Gloria Arroyo was transferred from a luxurious private hospital to a government hospital yesterday afternoon (December 9, 2011) on order by a lower court hearing her case of election sabotage. The dramatic transfer was witnessed by the nation as the media delivered the events live. The transfer of the former leader, however, was delayed for long hours because of glitches that irked Mrs. Arroyo and her close associates and loyal supporters.
The situation this time is less dramatic because the series of events were appropriately handled by the authorities, unlike in the case of deposed President Joseph Estrada who was immediately hauled to jail by the authorities during the administration of Gloria Arroyo. Thousands of police and military personnel were mobilized by Mrs. Arroyo to put Mr. Estrada to jail. The deposed president suffered humiliation at the hands of loyal officers of Mrs. Arroyo. Special treatment was not considered during the first few years of incarceration of Mr. Estrada.
Now that Mrs. Arroyo is undergoing the same problems that she had created herself, it looks like that she is getting special treatment from the authorities. Before her transfer to a government hospital, Mrs. Arroyo demanded full facelift of her hospital bed which is a suite intended for VIPs. Her defense lawyers have filed motions after motions to allow her to be under house arrest.
It seems that history repeat itself. This time, it’s Mrs. Arroyo’s turn to suffer the same fate Mr. Estrada had gone through. Only that Mrs. Arroyo is facing various cases of anomalies that she allegedly committed during her 9 ½ years in power. Yesterday’s event was met with pro and anti Arroyo rallies that nearly become a free for all which was separated by the anti-riot policemen guarding the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, the government hospital where Mrs. Arroyo is under hospital arrest.
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