Raul Jr.: My father should take a rest for total recovery
Representative Raul Gonzalez Jr. confirmed there is a need for his father Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. to take a leave from his work so he could immediately recuperate from his ailment.
Recently, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has designated Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera as officer-in-charge of the Department of Justice while Gonzalez Sr. took a one month leave of absence.
Sec. Gonzalez is presently undergoing medical treatment at the National Kidney Institute in Manila.
Pres. Arroyo noticed the secretary's bad condition during a National Security Council (NSC) meeting last week. The secretary had difficulty walking.
Rep.Gonzalez said they had long been pleading for Gonzalez Sr. to take a rest for his total recovery. "He is so hard-headed that he wants to go back immediately to his work," he said.
Gonzalez Jr. said his father also does not listen to what his doctor says and does not want to stay inside the hospital for long.
They were even surprised when the secretary granted media interviews last Friday. "All of us in the family wants him to relax and free himself from any media interviews. Mediums of communication such as newspapers and televisions were even kept out of his reach," said the younger Gonzalez.
He added that it was the first time that they knew their father has a bleeding ulcer when the latter was rushed to a hospital in Manila last August 3, 2007. We thought, he only suffers from a stomach upset, said Gonzalez.