Manila: Former president Gloria Arroyo, who is now a congresswoman, will attend the State of the Nation Address by President Rodrigo Duterte during the joint session of the upper and lower houses of Congress on Monday, her spokeswoman said.
“She has prepared for the event, like what to wear on Monday. That means she has decided to attend the event,” said former justice secretary Agnes Devanadera.
Arroyo does not yet know which seat will be offered to her during the event, said Devanadera, hinting that that she might be seated next to former president Benigno Aquino, who has been blamed for her four years of hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial medical Centre in suburban Quezon City.
Sources said that Aquino has not accepted the invitation to attend the event — which is usually attended by former presidents.
“What is important for her is that she can attend the event, and she can now fulfil her job as a congresswoman,” said Devanadera.
Arroyo is currently undergoing an executive medical check-up at St Luke’s Medical Centre in suburban Taguig. She will go home to spend time with her family. Then she will go to her home province in Pampanga, central Luzon.
She also has plans to seek treatment for her condition — spongy cervical bone near the neck — abroad. She has been wearing a neck brace throughout her stay at the Veteran’s hospital.
Arroyo was released on Thursday after four years of hospital arrest. The Supreme Court exonerated her from charges of plunder, filed against her at the Sandiganbayan during Aquino’s rule.
