Arroyo heads to Peru after emergency landing for FG
Agence France-Presse | 11/22/2008 1:08 PM
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President Gloria Arroyo flew to a summit in Peru as scheduled Saturday after her husband fell ill en route, forcing an emergency landing in Japan, officials said.
Jose Miguel Arroyo, 62, "is now stable and okay" after the unscheduled landing at Osaka's Kansai International Airport shortly after midnight, Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno told reporters.
In Japan, airport authorities said that President Arroyo's plane left there again at 9:02 am (0002 GMT), leaving her husband behind.
The hospital where her husband was being treated declined to comment on his condition.
Senior Filipino officials at first said the president's husband, who had heart surgery last year, had suffered a heart attack in mid-air, but Puno made no mention of cardiac problems.
He "had experienced stomach cramps and back pain during the flight of the Philippine delegation bound for the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit," Puno said.
"This was the same thing the first gentleman experienced before he was rushed to (a Manila hospital) in early 2008, that's why doctors on board decided to do an emergency landing in Japan so that First Gentleman Mike could be given special medical attention."
Puno earlier said "the president's entourage will continue its flight but First Gentleman Mike Arroyo will remain in Japan for further analysis from his personal doctors who were sent to Japan to see his condition."
He said Arroyo's husband would fly back to Manila as soon as his doctors clear him for travel.
Arroyo is on her way to a two-day APEC summit in Peru that begins on Saturday.
