Former President of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal Arroyo returned to the worldwide spotlight on Friday, November 18th after being arrested in the hospital she was currently admitted in for charges of election fraud. Arroyo, who has a bone ailment and needs round-the-clock medical attention, previously tried to leave the country to seek medical help, but was denied by the government for fears that she would leave the country indefinitely to avoid possible court cases of election fraud and corruption. The charges are derived from suspicion of Arroyo tampering with election results in 2007, and also for allegations that Arroyo took government money to fund her campaigns. Arroyo's lawyers previously had approval to leave the country, but in the end, the court's decision was overruled by the government. In the end, the former presidential couple had to stay within the country’s boundaries.
Arroyo served as the 14th President of the Philippines from January 2001 until June 2010. She is currently serving as a Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Pampanga's 2nd district.
The New York Times has the full story of what has transpired.
*photo via NY Times/AP
