Party-lists back de Lima but urge filing of raps in court vs GMA

MANILA, Philippines - Several party-list lawmakers urged Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Wednesday to exhaust all means to stop their colleague from Pampanga, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, from leaving the country.

But an ally of the former president called on Malacanang to “stop the power play" and respect the temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court against the inclusion of Arroyo and her husband, Jose Miguel, in the government immigration watch list.

The TRO, handed down Tuesday, was sought by the Arroyos after government rejected the former president’s request to seek treatment abroad for a rare hormonal disorder. Despite this, the couple was prevented from leaving the country when they tried to board a flight to Singapore Tuesday night.

Zambales Representative Ma. Milagros Magsaysay said Justice Secretary Leila de Lima’s defiance of the high court order sends a bad signal that the agency tasked to uphold justice is the very same wantonly violating it.

“This is a very bad indication as the DOJ that should be the protector and upholder of justice is the one that is going against it. What about other personalities who go against the administration? Will they do the same thing to them?” she said.

Bayan Muna party-list Representative Teddy Casino said he supports de Lima's using everything at her disposal to prevent Arroyo from leaving, including a possible legal showdown with the Supreme Court.

"De Lima is well within her rights to exhaust all legal and administrative remedies to uphold the interest of justice within the bounds of due process and human rights," he said.

However, he reiterated that the more prudent move would be for the DOJ and Office of the Ombudsman to immediately file cases against Arroyo in court.

Arroyo is facing complaints of plunder and electoral sabotage but the cases have yet to be filed in court. The Akbayan party-list assailed the high court decision as a "blatant … travesty of justice."

“Arroyo faces six counts of plunder and more than a dozen other cases before the Office of the Ombudsman and is under investigation for electoral sabotage by the Department of Justice and the Commission on Elections. The justices who voted in favor of allowing GMA to leave abroad conveniently ignored this fact and want her to go scot-free despite all these pending cases,” Akbayan spokesperson Risa Hontiveros said in a statement.

“The decision is virtually a parole certificate to Arroyo even prior to her arrest, conviction and detention. This decision only reinforces the belief that GMA still enjoys tremendous influence. This is a huge disservice to justice,” she added.

ACT Teachers party-list Representative Antonio Tinio expressed suspicion about what he described as the haste with which Arroyo has tried to leave the country.

“The bigger and more important issue here is justice and accountability. Arroyo must not leave the country so she could answer all the allegations hurled against her,” Tinio said.

Gabriela Representatives Luz Ilagan and Emmi de Jesus said there is no compelling reason for Arroyo to leave and that the former president’s physical condition is hardly an emergency case.

"The extent of the crimes that they have to answer for in the interest of justice and accountability far outweighs the supposed personal health risks that Filipino doctors and facilities can adequately address," Ilagan said.

But echoing her fellow [party-list lawmakers, Ilagan said it is now imperative for the DOJ to expedite the filing of charges against the former president.

"Otherwise, this legal fiasco provides an opportunity for one of Philippine history’s biggest plunderer to escape accountability, and no less than the Aquino administration will be held liable for this injustice," she added.

"Once again, this situation points to a President (Benigno Aquino III) who continues to err from inaction instead of actively working to seek justice for the millions of Filipinos amid his Daang Matuwid (straight path) rhetoric. The President’s anti-Arroyo air-puffing is trivial as long as his regime does not prosecute and punish Arroyo and her cohorts for their anti-people crimes,” De Jesus said