RIYADH, 8 July 2004 — Seventy-nine days after their successful separation, Filipino twins Princess Ann and Princess Mae Manzo are home. They left the Kingdom on Tuesday night accompanied by their mother Carina and aunt Jocelyn.
They had stayed here for more than six months as guests of Crown Prince Abdullah. At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, the twins were met by crowds of relatives amidst hugs and tears of joy at their return. Later, they went to Malacanang Palace where they met Philippine President Gloria Arroyo.
Earlier, Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Bahnarim Guinomla saw off the twins at the VIP Lounge of King Khaled International Airport here. Also present were a group of well-wishers, medical personnel and Public Relations and Media Affairs Department staff of King Abdul Aziz Medical City (National Guard Health Affairs) led by Director General Sami Al-Shallan.
In an interview moments before boarding the flight, Carina said: “I can not thank Crown Prince Abdullah enough for his kindness and good heart in helping make the operation to separate my twins possible. I also thank Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah and all the staff of the National Guard Health Affairs.”
The medical feat, the eighth such successful operation performed by Dr. Al-Rabeeah and his team of specialized surgeons, highlights the accomplishments of Saudi Arabia in different fields, specially the humanitarian and medical fields.
Dr. Al-Rabeeah, in a statement, said: “We thank God that the treatment of Princess Ann and Princess May Manzo was successfully accomplished. On behalf of my colleagues and myself, and the members of the medical team, we would like to express our sincerest gratitude and appreciation to Crown Prince Abdullah for adopting this case.
“The twins are very healthy and their condition is excellent. As everyone knows the surgery was performed successfully months ago. The duration time of the surgery was a record. No complications occurred.
“All body systems and organ functions such as the heart, respiratory, digestive and productive systems have recovered and are functioning normally. The twins eat normally and no medications are currently given to them. The most important aspect is that the lower extremities are relaxing in order to reposition to their normal position. The twins responded to physiotherapy very well. In addition, the pressure endurance on the lower extremities is very good.”
The twins from Mandaue city in Cebu and formerly conjoined at the lower abdomen arrived in the Kingdom on Jan. 22 and underwent the operation on March 20.
— Additional input from Agencies
