Catholic bishops say they support allowing former president Gloria Arroyo to leave the country for medical treatment as long as she agrees to return to defend herself against charges of election fraud. Bishop Deogracias Iniguez of Kalookan, chairman of the public affairs committee of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said Arroyo should be allowed to get medical treatment abroad, especially if the treatment she needs is not available in the country. However, Bishop Iniguez said, the camp of the former president should guarantee her return to remove suspicion from the minds of the people that she is only using her medical condition to evade criminal prosecution. "There should be a guarantee of her return," said Bishop Iniguez. Arroyo, 66, is suffering from arthritis in her neck and has already had surgery three times.
