Palace on Estrada wish: Let court decide Arroyo’s fate

Rappler.com

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Palace on Estrada wish: Let court decide Arroyo’s fate
For his 78th birthday, Joseph Estrada wishes house arrest for his fellow former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang stressed it is up to the court if former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo can be granted house arrest, the wish of Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada for his 78th birthday on Sunday, April 19.

“Mainam na ipaubaya sa hukuman ang pagpapasya hinggil dito,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr said of Estrada’s birthday wish. (It is better to leave the decision to the court.)

Coloma added it is the duty of government prosecutors to file related petitions.

Coloma made these statements after Estrada said he wants house arrest for Arroyo. “She’s no longer a flight risk. As Filipinos, we respect our women. We should be compassionate [and allow her] to be with her family, children, and grandchildren,” Estrada said in a phone interview with the Inquirer.

Arroyo is detained at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center over a P366 million ($8.2 million) plunder charge involving the alleged misuse of Philippine Chapter Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) funds.

The Pampanga representative was reported to have “multiple cervical spondylosis in 2011,” with her lawyers stressing the need for medical treatment abroad.

In February 2015, Arroyo made headlines after international lawyer Amal Alamuddin Clooney filed a complaint at the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights on her behalf. The complaint urged the Philippine government to release Arroyo on humanitarian grounds.

Clooney’s high profile clients also include Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, Al Jazeera journalist Mohamed Fahmy, and Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Estrada himself faced plunder charges, and was allowed by the Sandiganbayan to be placed under house arrest for 6 years.

“I pity GMA. I’ve been there. At least [when I was detained], I was healthy,” Estrada told the Inquirer. – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!