all about ex-president arroyo article

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Philippines' Gloria Arroyo speaks out on fraud charge

Gloria Arroyo has been moved from an upmarkethospital suite to a government facility

Former Philippine President Gloria Arroyo says she has faith that thecourts will clear her name, in her first public comments since being

arrested on vote-fraud charges.

She told local broadcaster GMA TV that the government was "employingdemagoguery" against her.

Mrs Arroyo was arrested last month accused of rigging a 2007 election.

She denies the charge and has been trying to leave the country for specialistmedical treatment.

The government has barred her from leaving though, and the two sides are now

locked in an intense legal and political struggle.

"I have peace of mind because my conscience is clear. The currentadministration is employing demagoguery to ruin me," Mrs Arroyo told GMA.

"I believe in the rule of law. I think I did my best. I have great faith in God."

Mrs Arroyo, president from 2001 to 2010, also told the broadcaster that she wasrecovering well from a rare bone disease that had already required threeoperations this year.

She showed GMA scars from the operations and said there was no guarantee of avoiding a relapse.

She was arrested in hospital, where she has been for several weeks.

On Friday, she left the upmarket hospital she had been staying in and wastransferred to a court-approved state hospital.



Politics in the Philippines is notorious for corruption, vote-rigging and long-running bitter rivalries between clans and families.

Mrs Arroyo, herself the daughter of a former president, has been surrounded bycorruption allegations for years, and survived several attempts to have her

impeached while in office.

Her predecessor Joseph Estrada was jailed for corruption, and former authoritarian leader Ferdinand Marcos amassed a vast fortune by embezzlingpublic money.

Philippines ex-leader Gloria Arroyoarrested for fraud

Gloria Arroyo was stopped from leaving the country earlier thisweek

Former Philippine President Gloria Arroyo has been arrested on charges of election fraud.

Mrs Arroyo was arrested on her hospital bed in the capital Manila, accused of cheating to win a seat in the Senate for one of her supporters during the 2007election.

Mrs Arroyo has been fighting a legal battle to be allowed to leave the country toreceive medical treatment.

She denies any wrongdoing and her lawyer says the charges are fabricated.



Ferdinand Topacio said the government had filed charges with "indecent haste"in what he called an "emerging pattern of persecution".

A Philippine court had issued an arrest warrant after the Election Commissionfiled charges against her.

'Truth to prevail' For months, speculation has swirled that Mrs Arroyo was about to be charged -either with vote fraud or with embezzlement.

With the threat of charges hanging over her, the government put her on a watch-list of people who have to ask for permission to leave the country.

She launched a legal bid arguing that the travel ban infringed her constitutionalright to be regarded as innocent until proven guilty.

Twice this week the Supreme Court, which is dominated by her appointees, hasruled in her favour.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Kate McGeownBBC News, Manila

When quiet, studious Gloria Arroyo became the Philippine president in 2001, she was hailed as theperfect antidote to her loud, hard-drinking predecessor Joseph Estrada.

But over her nine-year term, her popularity plummeted as she faced a series of allegations of vote-riggingand corruption.

When Benigno Aquino replaced her as president in June 2010, he made it clear that one of his mainpriorities was to investigate Mrs Arroyo's administration. And in recent weeks he's been saying openlythat he expects her to face charges.

So in the government's eyes, it all looked a bit convenient when she said she wanted to leave thePhilippines for foreign medical treatment - especially as her itinerary included locations which do not havean extradition treaty with Manila.

That's why she was banned from leaving - a ban subsequently overturned by the Supreme Court. Butnow she's been charged, it looks like President Aquino has got his way and she's not going out of thecountry any time soon.

At one stage she even travelled to the airport, where she was photographed in awheelchair with a neck-brace. She says she has a rare bone disease and needsspecialist treatment.

But twice the government has foiled her attempts to leave the country.



On Friday, the lower court's decision to issue an arrest warrant appears to havebrought the first phase of the saga to an end.

Court officials insisted she could not leave the country now that the warrant hadbeen issued.

"Hospital arrest is possible. The arresting officers will look at her health if that isneeded," said court official Joel Pelicano.

Election officials said Mrs Arroyo, who was president between 2001 and 2010,had ordered large-scale tampering with official returns in the 2007 Senateelections that cheated an opposition candidate out of victory.

The maximum sentence is life in prison.

"It is our desire that truth and accountability prevail and that the Filipino peoplebe given the justice they truly deserve," said Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.

Politics in the Philippines is notorious for corruption, vote-rigging and long-running bitter rivalries between clans and families.

Mrs Arroyo, herself the daughter of a former president, has been surrounded bycorruption allegations for years, and survived several attempts to have her impeached while in office.

Her predecessor Joseph Estrada was jailed for corruption, and former

authoritarian leader Ferdinand Marcos amassed a vast fortune by embezzlingpublic money.

Top Philippine court rules out ArroyinvestigationBy Kate McGeownBBC News, Manila



Many Filipinos had backed the investigation intoGloria Arroyo

The Philippine government has criticised the Supreme Court after itdecided that a truth commission set up by President Benigno Aquino wasunconstitutional.

The commission was due to investigate claims of corruption against the previous

president, Gloria Arroyo, who has many allies in the Supreme Court.

The justice secretary described the decision as politically motivated.

The establishment of a commission was one of Mr Aquino's campaign pledges.

Gloria Arroyo was deeply unpopular towards the end of her term and Mr Aquino'spromise to pursue her for alleged corruption found widespread support, eventhough she has consistently denied the allegations.

But before it has even started its investigations, the commission will have to bedisbanded.

The Supreme Court said that because the group was singling out one person,Mrs Arroyo, it violated the country's constitution.

This is not the first time Mr Aquino has found his plans blocked by SupremeCourt judges - all but one of whom were given their jobs by Mrs Arroyo.

They have already overturned his orders to impeach the ombudsman and torevoke last-minute appointments by his predecessor.

A spokesman for the president said that despite the court's decision, thegovernment would continue its investigations into the former administration -through other channels if necessary.

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Philippines' Gloria Arroyo: Long legbattle loomsBy Kate McGeownBBC News, Manila

The government wants to prevent Gloria Arroyo from travellingoverseas

If you had told Filipinos back in 2001 that their newly elected presidentGloria Arroyo would one day be arrested for vote rigging, not many wouldhave believed you.

Mrs Arroyo was ushered into power promising a new era of integrity and honesty.

To the Philippine people, she was everything that her loud hard-drinkingpredecessor Joseph Estrada was not.

She was quiet and studious; she had studied economics in the US as aclassmate of Bill Clinton; she came from an illustrious family - her father Diosdado Macapagal was president in the 1960s.

And perhaps most importantly, even though she served as Mr Estrada's vice-president, she had publicly distanced herself from the accusations of corruptionand embezzlement that had led to him being ousted from office.

But now, 10 years later, history is repeating itself and Mrs Arroyo, like Mr Estradabefore her, has been arrested.



She has been charged with electoral fraud and, if found guilty, could spend therest of her life in jail.

'Survival mode' At the beginning of her presidency, Mrs Arroyo had some notable successes.

It was under her watch that the Philippines' burgeoning call centre industry wasestablished, and she built much-needed roads and roll-on, roll-off ferry servicesbetween the country's many disparate islands.

"The ferries made a real difference in facilitating the movement of goods aroundthe country. It was a big change for the better," says Gonzalo Jurado, Mrs

Arroyo's former economics professor and one of her main supporters.

But it was not long before Mrs Arroyo found herself becoming the focus of

corruption allegations.

In 2003, a group of young soldiers took over a hotel and shopping centre incentral Manila, accusing Mrs Arroyo of mismanagement and allowing their generals to siphon off military funds.

The mutiny ended peacefully, but the corruption claims surfaced again thefollowing year, when she faced her first election.

She had replaced Mr Estrada without an election being held, but in 2004 she hadto fight her own campaign, which she won only narrowly.

In the aftermath of the poll, Mrs Arroyo was accused of vote-rigging, and awiretapped recording of a conversation between her and an election officialallegedly discussing her margin of victory eroded her popularity still further.

"It was in 2004 when it all started to unravel," says political analyst Marites Vitug."Many of her allies were disappointed and deserted her, so she got into survivalmode."

In the years that followed, Mrs Arroyo faced numerous other allegations. Critics

say she siphoned off $16m of government funds that should have been used tobuy fertiliser, and tried to enter into a broadband deal to her own personaladvantage.

She denied all the claims, and clung on to power, despite several further protestsand coup attempts.



But by the time her term ended in June 2010, she was the most unpopular president since Ferdinand Marcos, the man who was toppled in the PeoplePower Revolution of 1986.

Election pledge Once she had left office, it seemed only a matter of time before Mrs Arroyo wouldbe charged over some of the many accusations being hurled her way.

Her successor, Benigno Aquino, has made tackling corruption one of the mostimportant tasks on his agenda.

He knows that if he cannot get the woman who headed the previousadministration to answer for her actions, his credibility as president will be dealt aheavy blow.

"It would make him look weak, like he's not able to fulfil his election promises,"says Bernito Lim, a political science professor at Ateneo de Manila University.

But it is not proving easy. In trying to get her to face a trial, Mr Aquino and JusticeSecretary Leila de Lima have found themselves on a collision course with theSupreme Court.

The court has twice overturned a government order preventing Mrs Arroyo fromleaving the country.

Judges are now looking into whether the panel that issued the charges against

her was unconstitutional - and even whether Mrs de Lima herself should be heldin contempt of court.

At one stage, Mrs Arroyo was told by the judges that she could leave, so shearrived at the airport in a wheelchair and neck brace only to be turned away bygovernment officials.

Filipinos watching the saga unfold on TV would be forgiven for thinking it was theplot of one of the telenovelas that are so popular throughout the country.

Analysts say there is a simple explanation for all these twists and turns: while Mr Aquino's supporters dominate Congress, Mrs Arroyo's appointees still dominatethe Supreme Court.

"What they're doing is to vote in her favour," claims Marites Vitug. "It's a verycultural thing. When the appointed power puts you in a position, you owe theappointing power a debt of gratitude."



Mrs Arroyo has now been arrested but this, of course, is only the beginning. Nextthere is the matter of the trial. If she is found guilty, an appeal would againinvolve the Supreme Court.

The current charges relate to claims that Mrs Arroyo helped the powerful

Ampatuan family rig an election in 2007, but both her supporters and detractorsknow there are likely to be more charges to come.

"It's going to be a long drawn-out battle," says Professor Lim.

Despite these hurdles, Filipinos are still keen for Mrs Arroyo to have her day incourt.

Maria Ignacio, a Manila teacher, sums up the feeling of many: "I just want toknow that no-one is above the law."

Gloria Arroyo under arrestby Jojo Malig, abs-cbnNEWS.com

Posted at 11/18/2011 6:51 PM | Updated as of 11/19/2011 11:44 AM

MANILA, Philippines (4th UPDATE) - Police served on Friday night the arrest warrant for former President Gloria

Macapagal-Arroyo issued by a Pasay trial court judge who found probable cause against her for electoral sabotage.

The warrant was served inside her room at the St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig City where she is confined.

"Katatapos lang po namin i-serve," said Senior Superintendent James Bucayu.

Former first gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, their family, and some members of the former Arroyo Cabinet were

present during the serving of the arrest warrant, according to police.

The Pampanga lawmaker will not be brought out of the hospital as of Friday night because of her illness, Bucayu said.

"Hindi po siya dadalhin, because of her physical condition. May sakit nga po siya."

She is now considered under the custody of the Southern Police District, he added. "Under na po siya ng Southern

Police District. Nag-iwan na po kami ng guwardiya sa taas."

Policemen have been stationed outside her room and in key areas of the hospital, Bucayu said.

He said they coordinated with Arroyo's lawyer, who waived off the reading of her rights.

"Si Atty. [Jose] Flaminiano ang nag- receive ng warrant of arrest," the police official said. "Binasa sana namin ang

kaniyang rights, ayaw."



Arroyo will not be brought out of the hospital and her formal booking, which includes fingerprinting, will be done at the

hospital Saturday.

"Tomorrow, the booking, kasi medyo stressed pa siya. Para naman convenient para sa kaniya," Bucayu said, adding

that Arroyo will be detained at the SPD when she is well enough to leave the hospital.

"Depende po sa sasabihin ng kaniyang doctor, kung puwede na siyang... gumaling na siya at puwede na siyang

maglakad. Pero ngayon hindi pa possible," he said.

Bucayu said that the former President's family may just provide a photo for her mugshot.

"Inne-expect naman niya yata na a warrant of arrest will be issued against her. Hindi naman siya malungkot. Okay

naman siya," he added.

Electoral sabotage

Arroyo, former Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr., and former election supervisor Lintang Bedol were charged

with electoral sabotage by the Commission Elections (Comelec) on Friday morning.

It is a nonbailable offense under Philippine law.

Pasay RTC 112 Judge Jesus Mupas issued the arrest warrants for the trio later in the day.

Police also served in Bicutan the arrest warrant against Ampatuan and on Bedol in Camp Crame.

Arroyo has cancelled her plans to travel to Singapore for a doctor's appointment that was set on Saturday.

Ampatuan is detained at Camp Bagong Diwa in connection with the Maguindanao massacre. Bedol is also under

detention.

In a press conference in Malacañang, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said that with the issuance of the arrest

warrant, the issue of the Supreme Court's temporary restraining order (TRO) allowing the Arroyos to leave in the

country "has become moot and academic."

Arroyo's camp, however, asked the Pasay RTC to suspend its proceedings on the electoral sabotage case filed

against her, saying the Sandiganbayan, and not the lower court, should have jurisdiction over the case.

The motion filed by her lawyers said the anti-graft court, Sandiganbayan, should have jurisdiction over the case

because Arroyo was a public official when the alleged crimes were committed.

Arroyo rues government treatment

Arroyo's legal spokesman, Raul Lambino, told Bandila that he was the one who relayed to the former President that

she had an arrest warrant.



"Siya'y nakahiga at nagpapahinga, dahil mahina ang kaniyang katawan at naka-dextrose siya. Sinabi ko kaagad sa

kaniya na 'Ma'am, meron na ho talagang confirmed, meron nang warrant of arrest at patungo na rito iyung arresting

officers.' This was about 4 o'clock in the afternoon," he said.

"Sinabi niya sa akin, 'Well, what can we do, Raul? This is the way the government would like to treat us. So we'll face

the judges,'" Lambino added.

He said Arroyo remained in poor health Friday. "Malungkot siya at fluctuating iyung blood pressure niya kanina.

Noong umalis ako ng St. Lukes, around 9:30 (pm), medyo kalmado na rin siya. Nakita ko eh medyo sumubo ng

kaunting pagkain. At masaya na rin ako nang makita ko siyang kumain bago ako pumunta rito."

"Naka-brace siya. Mas lalo siyang pumayat. Siyempre sa stress, hindi siya nakakatulog at nakakakain. Ang

nandodoon lang si Congressman Dato at si former first gentleman Mike. Mikey left laft night. Si Luli is already out of

the country, alam ko," he added.

Lambino said Arroyo decided to call off their scheduled flight Friday to Singapore because she is still ill. "The flight I

think, was cancelled earlier, dahil sa kalagayan niya. Around 2 pm, sinabi niya that I cannot leave even if I want to.

Mayroon nang desisyon ang Supreme Court noon. Tinanong namin, sinabi niya, I cannot."

He said the Arroyo camp expected the government to rush the electoral sabotage charge. "We know that the

government will try to ram into our throat this electoral sabotage. Ito iyung sinabi na ni Presidente Aquino around 2

months ago na mayroon nang makakasuhan sa November ng kaso na maaring 'di punder. We know already...

ineexpect namin na gagawin iyan ng government."

Lambino also denied that Arroyo's camp ignored the joint Comelec and DOJ fact-finding team that looked at the

allegation against the former leader. He said the team did not allow Arroyo to properly give her side. "Sa normal

preliminary investigation, binibigyan ka ng panahon na pag-aralan ng charges."

He said they were only given 10 days to analyze voluminous documents. He also asked why the fact-finding team is

also behind the preliminary investigation.

Lambino said they have already filed a Supreme Court petition questioning joint panel.

He also acused the DOJ of "engaging in propaganda" regarding allegations that the Arroyos will only try to hide in

other countries

"Hindi sila makakapagtago," Lambino said, citing a statement made by Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago who said

government can cancel the Arroyos' passports and demand their deportation.

He added that political asylum is also dangerous because it will damage diplomatic relations between countries.

Lambino said they are still studying suggestions to have the former President placed under either a hospital or house

arrest. "We are studying all options available because we have already questioned the jurisdiction of the regional trial

court."

Respect for former President



De Lima, meanwhile, said President Aquino wants Arroyo treated with utmost respect.

The Palace also will not object to a hospital or house arrest for the former president.

"Hindi kami mag-oobject sa hospital arrest. Although ang desisyon po does not lie with us, does not lie with the

complainant which is the Comelec, but nasa korte yan. Kelangan humingi sila," de Lima said.

"Kung gusto nila hospital arrest or house arrest, they should get the court approval. Sa panig namin, kinonsulta ko

nga ang President, he's in Bali, hindi kami mag-oobject," she added. - with a report from ANC

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/11/18/11/arrest-warrant-served-arroyo

all about ex-president arroyo article

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