Diabetes gives Janet a break

MANILA, Philippines - Diabetes gave controversial Janet Lim-Napoles a respite from grilling by senators during the Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearing into the pork barrel scam yesterday.

Committee chairman Sen. Teofisto Guingona III had to suspend the hearing at around 1 p.m. when Napoles, a diabetic, requested that she be allowed to eat because she was feeling dizzy.

The hearing started at around 10:30 a.m. and ended at past 4 p.m.

Senior Superintendent Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac, chief of the Philippine National Police-Public Information Office, said Napoles was offered chicken adobo and rice for lunch but she instead ate raisin bread and had a can of Coke Zero.

Sindac said Napoles had breakfast of rice, fried tuyo and egg at her detention cell at the training camp of the Special Action Force (SAF) in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

He said Napoles’ blood pressure was 130/80 at around 6 a.m. and her blood sugar was 127 mg/dl, which was a bit higher than the normal level of 70 to 110 mg/dl.

Napoles was allowed to bring an electric fan and a small refrigerator for her medicine in her detention cell because of her medical condition.

Sindac said travel from the Fort Sto. Domingo to the Senate, a distance of about 50 kilometers, went smoothly.

The SAF used a decoy by sending a convoy consisting of a coaster, an ambulance and several motorcycles before the actual convoy of Napoles left the SAF training camp.