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Opposition Senator Leila de Lima is grateful to the courts handling her cases for allowing her to go on a medical furlough, this time to undergo a major surgery, as prescribed by her doctors.

In separate orders dated June 15, Judge Abraham Joseph Alcantara and Judge Romeo Buenaventura of Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC), Branches 204 and 256, respectively, granted De Lima’s request to undergo surgery and hospital confinement at Manila Doctors Hospital.

In her motion, De Lima said she was diagnosed with pelvic organ prolapse Stage 3 and was advised by her doctor to undergo surgery “at the soonest possible time.”

“I thank the courts for their compassion and swift action in allowing me to address my urgent medical needs – from granting my motion for medical furlough for routine checkup last April and my recent motion that would allow me to undergo a major surgery,” she said.

It may be recalled that De Lima was also confined at the Manila Doctors Hospital for roughly 28 hours, from April 5-6, after her very urgent motion for medical furlough was granted by the same Muntinlupa courts.

De Lima assured the Court that “she will not be staying in the hospital longer than what is called for or necessary” and that “there will be proper observance of the health and safety protocols, as prescribed under the IATF guidelines, on her part and that of everyone who will be accompanying her during the medical furlough.”

“The preparation for the surgery and the recovery time would entail, at least, a one hundred and twenty (120) hour confinement in order to fully observe and evaluate the status of Accused De Lima’s recovery, and to assess if her heart condition is being affected, considering that she had a suspected Transient Ischemic Attack (mild stroke) last April 2021,” De Lima’s motion read, citing her doctors’ advice. Comms OS Leila de Lima