PNP hospital head: Enrile needs to stay here

Transferring detained Senator Juan Ponce Enrile to a detention facility won't be good for him, the head of the Philippine National Police General Hospital told reporters on Thursday.

Chief Superintendent Alejandro Advincula said Enrile needed closer medical attention as his blood pressure had been fluctuating over past few days since he surrendered last week, the chief of the PNP General Hospital told reporters on Thursday.

Advincula said at one point this week, Enrile's blood pressure shot up to 200/90, after entertaining several visitors.

Enrile's blood pressure also shot up to 200/90 on Friday when he surrendered to the PNP after the Sandiganbayan Third Division issued a warrant for his arrest for plunder charges in connection with his alleged involvement in the pork barrel fund scam.

Asked if Enrile could already be transferred to the PNP Custodial Center, Advincula said, "[Enrile] has uncontrolled hypertension. So if he is transferred to a venue which is not good for his age, I think his hypertension might be triggered again."

On whether the senator's condition could lead to a stroke, the officer said, "He was brought to the hospital, to prevent such (stroke) complications."

"We can handle JPE's current situation. The court has an order allowing us to refer him to another facility if we lack it. But right now our doctors are in constant communication with his doctors," Advincula said in a news briefing in Camp Crame.

Advincula said Enrile had no complaints as regards his detention at the police hospital "but we are concerned about his uncontrolled hypertension."

"At this point, even with medications, it has a tendency to go up,” Advincula said.

Enrile is being detained in connection with plunder and graft charges in connection with his alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam.

The two other senators accused in connection with the scam, Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr., are detained at the custodial center.

Aside from asking the Sandiganbayan that he be placed under hospital arrest, Enrile has also asked the court that his arraignment scheduled on Friday be deferred because of health reasons.

Advincula said that although Enrile had been hypertensive for the past couple of years, stress may be the most likely factor for his fluctuating blood pressure.

“At this point, one of the triggering factors is the stress he is suffering now. We need to control that to prevent complications from setting in," Advincula said.

He said it had been decided that Enrile's visitors would now be limited to two at a time from four at a time over the past few days.The maximum number of visitors allowed a day remains at 60.

Visiting hours are from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Enrile's blood pressure on Monday went down to 140/70 but the PNP doctors still recommended that Enrile undergo a two-dimensional echocardiogram (2D Echo) with doppler exam to get a clear picture of his heart and assess the flow of blood through and out of his arteries.

Advincula said the result of the 2D Echo exam arrived at 11:30 a.m. Thursday and is now being interpreted by the seven-man Philippine General Hospital team composed of internists, a cardiologist, an opthalmologist, a visiting consultant and other PGH doctors.

He said the PGH doctors recommended the installation of holter monitoring machine in Enrile's ward for 24-hour monitoring of his heart's rhythm and detect any irregularity in his heartbeat.

Aside from 2D Echo, Advincula said other medical screenings done on Enrile Thursday afternoon were Complete Blood Count (CBC) exam, blood chemistry test, electrocardiography (ECG) and chest x-ray. He said no results of these exams had yet been released.

The anti-graft court's Third Division on Wednesday ordered doctors from the PGH to conduct a medical exam on Enrile, and submit a report and recommendation to the court within three days.

The Third Division said this was to guide the tribunal in deciding Enrile's motion that he placed under hospital arrest pending the resolution of his petition for bail.

Advincula said the PNP hospital could handle Enrile's current medical situation.

Meanwhile, Dr. Stanley Sevillano, one of Enrile's attending physicians said that though the 90-year-old senator's blood pressure had been fluctuating, he seemed to be calm and in good mood

"No changes so far. He seems high spirited," Sevillano said.

He said that aside from Enrile's blood pressure, the PGH team was also monitoring the senator's diabetes, coronary artery disease and high cholesterol.

Sevillano said Enrile is also set to undergo an eye check-up with his opthalmologist on July 12.

Advincula, meanwhile, said that Enrile can go to his arraignment before the Sandiganbayan Third Division on Friday depending on his vital signs

"That will depend... Once his vital signs are stable particularly his BP, then he can go to his arraignment," Advincula said.

“If it shoots up (BP), definitely he cannot go, we must consider the travel and the stress of facing the court," Advincula added. — Elizabeth Marcelo/NB/JDS, GMA News