‘Janet can have tumor checkup’

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino backed yesterday the request of Janet Lim-Napoles to undergo a medical checkup to determine if she has a tumor.

Speaking to reporters, Aquino said the state has the duty to take care of the health of a detained person.

“So we will have her undergo a checkup,” he said.

However, only the judge can decide on the matter as Napoles is under the jurisdiction of the court hearing the illegal detention case against her, Aquino said.

Meanwhile, Chief Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac, Philippine National Police (PNP) public information chief, said they are awaiting the court order for the medical checkup of Napoles.

The vital signs of Napoles remain normal, he added.

The Makati Regional Trial Court has set for Feb. 24 the resolution of the motion of Napoles for immediate medical attention after she complained of bleeding.

In an urgent motion, Napoles asked the court through lawyer Fay Isaguirre Singson to allow her obstetrician-gynecologist Elsie Badillo-Pascua to examine her at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Bonifacio Global City.

Singson said last Oct. 24, Special Action Force (SAF) guards took Napoles to the emergency room of the Southern Luzon Hospital and Medical Center due to severe abdominal pain. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe