Sen. Enrile asks for hospital arrest

Published July 7, 2014 10:12am

(Updated 11:07 a.m.) Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile on Monday asked the Sandiganbayan to temporarily place him under hospital arrest at the PNP General Hospital pending the resolution of his motion for bail.

Enrile, 90, was brought to the hospital on Friday after a warrant was issued for his arrest in connection with a plunder charge for the pork barrel scam. His blood pressure registered 200/90 during the booking procedure.

In his petition, Enrile cited his advanced age and frail medical condition in his request for hospital detention.

He also asked that the hospital head or administrator be authorized to exercise professional medical judgment or discretion in allowing the senator's access or temporary visit to another medical facility outside Camp Crame should an emergency arise.

Sen. Enrile, hiniling sa Sandiganbayan na maisailalim sa Hospital Arrest @dzbb pic.twitter.com/ED6WCMIzac

— Allan Gatus (@allangatus) July 7, 2014

"PNP General Hospital may not have the necessary specialists or resources to fully address Enrile's elderly needs," the motion said.

In his motion for bail filed in June, Enrile had cited insufficiency of evidence, his age, poor physical condition, and the need for constant medical attention as reasons for his request.

A medical certificate issued by Dr. Claver Ramos of Makati Medical Center dated May 6, 2014 stated that Enrile has diabetes mellitus, dyslipiddemia, essential hypertension, extensive coronary artery calcification in the right coronary, left anterior descending and left circumflex, multifocal ventricular premature beats, episodes of bradycardia, colonic diverticulosis, thoracic and lumbar spondylosis L4-L5, alpha thalassemia and macular degeneration, chronic lacunar ischemic zones, scattered small luminal plaques of proximal middle segments of basilar artery, both horizontal and insular opercular branches of middle cerebral arteries.

Enrile is taking 22 kinds of medication for his ailments.

Dr. Amadeo Veloso Jr., comprehensive ophthalmologist and retina specialist at the Asian Institute, in a medical certificate dated May 6, 2014, said Enrile has been his patient since 2002.

He said Enrile was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, neovascular (wet) type on both eyes. The senator also needs to undergo regular ophthalmologic checkup, monitoring and treatment and has been receiving monthly intravitreal injections to maintain and preserve his vision since 2008.

Enrile and his co-accused are alleged to have amassed P172.8 million in kickbacks from 2004 to 2010 through nongovernment organizations put up by trader Janet Lim-Napoles.

He faces one count of plunder and 15 counts of graft.

On Monday, the Sandiganbayan issued another set of warrants of arrest versus Enrile and 25 others, this time in connection with their multiple graft cases. —Patricia Denise Chiu and Amita Legaspi/KG/RSJ, GMA News

Tags: bantaykaban, juanponceenrile, porkbarrelscam