She said she supports a call of militant lawmakers for possible investigation of the Supreme Court and Integrated Bar of the Philippines against Arroyo’s lawyers Jose Flaminiano, Raul Lambino and Ferdinand Topacio for the alleged “grand deception to hide the real condition of Arroyo.”
“The alleged harassment of their own doctors is of course a very serious matter that needs to be looked into,” she said in a text message yesterday.
De Lima explained that forcing doctors to certify false medical certificates - just as what the lawyers alleged did to Arroyo’s doctors - “smacks of grave coercion, if not obstruction of justice.”
“Their (doctors’) rights are being grossly violated,” she pointed out.
Apart from SC and IBP, the justice secretary believes that the intervention of the Philippine Medical Association on this issue would be required.
De Lima said the battle of credibility was already resolved by the testimony of Arroyo’s doctors when they faced the RTC last Friday and said their patient was recovering well and ready to be discharged from hospital.
“If the doctors confirmed that her condition was not life-threatening, it only proved that (Arroyo’s) camp has been lying and that’s not contemplated in the rules. The act of lying then affects their reputation,” she said.
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