Arroyo Allies Seek Help from SC

MANILA, Philippines – Minority leader Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman is calling on the Supreme

Court to assist Pampanga Rep. Arroyo and husband Jose Miguel so they could leave the country.

“If the Secretary of Justice insists on her defiance, the Supreme Court should deputize an official to assist the former First Couple,” Lagman said in a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

Despite an SC-issued temporary restraining order on the travel ban against the Arroyos, the Department of Justice (DOJ) barred the couple from leaving the country on Tuesday. Earlier today, the justice department and the Office of the Solicitor General asked the Court to reconsider its decision.

Lagman reiterated that the TRO is immediately executory. “Not even the motion for reconsideration can stay the TRO,” Lagman said.

Lagman, who accompanied Rep. Arroyo to the airport Tuesday night, said the Arroyos are not planning to escape. He said that they will return to the Philippines after seeking medical treatment abroad.

Asked about public sentiment going against Rep. Arroyo, Lagman said: “This is not a matter of opinion poll, it’s a matter of constitutional right.”

Congressional inquiry

The minority congressmen are also calling on the House committee on good government and public accountability to investigate the violation of Rep. Arroyo’s constitutional rights. They will file a motion later today.

Zambales Rep. Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay put to task President Aquino. Justice Secretary Leila De Lima must only be following orders from the President, she said.

In a statement, minority congressmen said President Aquino has soiled the legacy of his parents.

“What has been dishonored–perhaps irrevocably–is the good name of the martyred Senator Ninoy Aquino and the sainted President Tita Cory, not that their son has chosen to learn–not from their examples of humanity and decency–but from the repression visited upon them by a former dictator and Ninoy’s jailor,” the statement said. — Move.PH