Brother dies ahead of Gloria Arroyo's visit

MANILA, Philippines —  The brother of Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Arturo “Art” dela Rosa Macapagal, died of prostate cancer on Tuesday morning, hours before his sister was scheduled to visit him.

Macapagal, 72, passed away 6:40 a.m. at the Makati Medical Center where he has been confined in the hospital's intensive care unit since July 2, radio reports said.

Macapagal's suffered from stage 4 prostate cancer where cancer cells threaten other organs and parts of the body.

Arroyo, currently under hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center for plunder charges, was scheduled to visit his brother at 3 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

Arroyo asked the Sandiganbayan for furlough to visit her ailing brother last Friday, which the court granted on Monday.

"Mr. Macapagal may not live long. His cancer has spread to his brains, bones and lungs. While the family continues to pray for a miracle, the doctors are of the opinion that his condition may further decline in the coming days," the motion read.

In November 2014, Arroyo's toddler grandson, Jorge Alonzo Arroyo Bernas, youngest son of Evangeline "Luli" Arroyo-Bernas and Luigi Bernas, also died at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City.

Macapagal is the second child of the former president Diosdado Macapagal with his first wife, Purita dela Rosa. Arroyo is the daughter of Diosdado with his second wife, Evangelina Macaraeg.