Arroyo reports for work at House after 4-year detention

MANILA, Philippines — Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo physically reported for work on Monday as Pampanga representative for the opening of the 17th Congress after being in detention for four years.

Arroyo, who served the first half of her term as lawmaker in detention at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, attended the first session of Congress for the election of new leaders.

Arroyo arrived wearing her neck brace at the Batasang Pambansa on Monday morning, a week after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of her motion against the Sandiganbayan over a plunder case against her. The case stemmed from the questionable use of intelligence funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office while she was president.

Arroyo voted for Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, an ally of President Rodrigo Duterte. Alvarez garnered a landslide 251 votes to be named new House leader.

Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo attends the first session of Congress. Philstar.com / AJ Bolando

She was also expected to attend Duterte's first State of the Nation Address before a joint session of Congress on Monday afternoon and was seen seated near former presidents Fidel Ramos and Joseph Ejercito Estrada.

The former president was released from detention on Thursday. On Friday, she had a comprehensive medical checkup at St. Luke's Medical Center. She has been diagnosed with multilevel cervical spondylosis or "arthritis of the neck."

In an exclusive interview with ABS-CBN aired Sunday, Arroyo said she spent her first days having dinner with family and friends and checking her house for repairs.

"I had time to start looking at the house because it's really not been attended to all these years," Arroyo said.

She also said she does not wish anyone else should endure what she had to go through in detention, which she called a form of political persecution under the administration of President Benigno Aquino III.

"To begin with, the detention itself was unjust, so to me, that’s the most important thing and what I learned from that is this whole thing of political power to persecute political enemies? That must stop. I must be the last victim," Arroyo said. — Camille Diola