De Lima granted emergency medical furlough after 'mild stroke'
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 23) — Two Muntinlupa courts granted detained senator Leila De Lima an immediate furlough or leave for three days to get a medical examination after she experienced headaches and weakness, which her doctor said could be a mild stroke.
An order from the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 205 stated that after an evaluation, De Lima's on-call physician Dr. Meophilia Santos-Cao "left an impression" that the lawmaker experienced a transient ischemic attack or a mild stroke and prescribed to get an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) which was not available at the Philippine National Police General Hospital.
The court initially allowed De Lima to start her furlough on Saturday, but Regional Trial Court Branch 256 later modified the order to permit her to leave at the soonest time possible after a review of her motion. The recent order noted that De Lima had been experiencing symptoms since April 20.
The jail warden of the police's Custodial Service Unit was likewise ordered to bring De Lima to the Manila Doctors Hospital, during which no media interviews shall be entertained. The court also told De Lima's lawyers to submit a report on the senator's medical status before the furlough ends.
De Lima also took a one-day medical furlough in February to get a check-up. The 61-year-old senator has been detained since 2017 on drug-related charges, which she describes as trumped up. One of the three charges against her has since been dismissed.
