Gloria Arroyo allowed to occasionally remove neck brace

After undergoing treatment for a problem that caused her to choke on her food last Aug. 2, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's condition has improved such that she is allowed to occasionally remove her titanium neck brace. Mrs. Arroyo's spokesperson Elena Bautista-Horn said removing the brace can also allow the former leader to move her neck and keep her neck muscles from weakening, radio dzBB reported Thursday. But Bautista-Horn was quoted in the report as saying Arroyo must still wear the brace in potentially risky situations, including when climbing stairs or going out of the house. Arroyo had been told by doctors to wear the brace after she was brought to the St. Luke's Medical Center due to a pinched nerve in 2011. Last Aug. 2, she was rushed to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City after choking on a piece of melon and a piece of "bacon-like" meat. VMMC head Dr. Nona Legaspi said they advised Arroyo to rest, after noting she looked dehydrated and "very weak" when she was brought there. She said Arroyo had also been advised that pain can be cumulative, and the body should be allowed to heal. Legaspi also said they have advised Arroyo to "force" herself to eat, lest they feed her intravenously. In late July, Arroyo left the VMMC after a Pasay court allowed her to post a P1-million bail for the electoral sabotage charge against her. She had spent eight months in hospital arrest since Nov. 15 last year, first at the St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig City, then at the VMMC starting last December. But Arroyo also faces re-arrest if the Sandiganbayan issues a warrant for her arrest for charges of plunder stemming from irregularities at the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. — LBG, GMA News