Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has apparently come to terms with the possibility of suffering the fate of her deposed predecessor, Joseph "Erap" Estrada, who was initially held in a government facility after being arrested for plunder.
Arroyo's legal spokesperson, Raul Lambino, on Saturday conceded that with government prosecutors strongly opposed to his client's house arrest while on trial for electoral sabotage, the odds were now stacked against it.
"She could suffer the same treatment that was given to Erap-that is, to be detained in a government facility or hospital. We are ready for that. It could happen," Lambino said in an interview by phone.
"As she said, 'We accorded Erap a resort arrest, the best resort that he has. If P-noy (President Aquino) can't give us the same courtesy, so be it.'... She's spiritually, psychologically and emotionally prepared for all the hardships she's going to face and is now facing. [But] I don't know if her physical body can take all this," he said.
Arroyo, now a representative of Pampanga, was served a warrant of arrest on Nov. 18. At a hearing last Friday, one of her doctors, Mario Ver, declared her "medically fit" and said she could be treated for her bone ailment as an "outpatient."
Her lawyers then dropped an earlier urgent petition for her to be allowed to remain at St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig City and moved for her house arrest.
Lead election prosecutor Ma. Juana Valeza asked that Arroyo be transferred from St. Luke's to any government detention facility, including the Southern Police District (SPD) headquarters in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig.
Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo also broached the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center as a possible detention facility.
Change of position
Lambino said the government prosecutors' opposition had made it "very difficult" for the defense to secure house arrest for Arroyo.
"The government has changed its position. [House arrest] was an offer coming from the government. We were confident it will not object and renege on its promise. Now they're objecting," he said.
He added that had the government not objected, it would have been easier for Judge Jesus Mupas of Pasay City Regional Trial Court Branch 112 to rule in favor of the defense motion.
The prosecution and defense panels are to formalize their positions on Tuesday, according to Lambino.
"GMA is not asking for a paradise resort... Whatever the court decides, we're going to respect it. GMA is ready to face all the difficulties," he said.
Estrada, who was arrested on April 25, 2001, was initially detained at Veterans' Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City, and then moved to a military camp in Tanay, Rizal. He was later transferred to his rest house in Tanay, where he stayed for the duration of his trial.
Months after he was convicted of plunder by the Sandiganbayan in 2007, Estrada was pardoned by then President Arroyo.
Lambino dismissed comments that Arroyo's purported urgent need for medical treatment abroad for her bone ailment had been shattered by her doctor's admission that she was "medically fit" to leave St. Luke's.
Urgency 'always there'
Lambino said Arroyo was "medically fit" to stay home before she and her husband were blocked at the airport from leaving for abroad on Nov. 15, and had to be taken to St. Luke's again because of the stress.
"The urgency of being treated abroad is always there. The doctors in the Philippines have been giving out these medications to avert the possibility of different complications for immediate and speedy recovery, which is not happening. She's been stronger compared with when she was in the hospital two months ago... Of course, they can always prescribe a medicine. But the issue is, is that the right medicine?" he said.
He added that he was not aware that Arroyo's lawyers were harassing her doctors, as had been bruited about.
With the electoral sabotage case that she's facing and the string of other cases that the government is preparing to file against her, is Arroyo done as a lawmaker?
Said Lambino: "She's innocent of the charges. She will remain a congresswoman until she finishes her term. She's not going to be a coward and surrender the right that she has [because of] the fabricated lies. She's going to face all this and clear her name. The court will eventually come out with the truth."
Arroyo is charged with electoral sabotage along with Andal Ampatuan Sr. and Lintang Bedol, former Maguindanao governor and election supervisor, respectively, on the recommendation of a joint panel of the Department of Justice and Commission on Elections that looked into the purported fraud in the 2007 senatorial polls in parts of Mindanao.
But according to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Arroyo's lawyers have not provided "enough basis in asking for house or hospital arrest."
"But then, it will be up to the court to decide on where to detain" the former President, she told reporters yesterday at Camp Karingal in Quezon City, where she attended a shooting competition for prosecutors.
"If there is no basis for hospital confinement, then there is no basis to ask for house arrest," she said. "[Arroyo's lawyers] have to convince the court that house arrest is the best arrangement."
De Lima said she preferred that Arroyo be held at the SPD headquarters.
Detention cell ready
Early last week, Senior Supt. James Bucayu, the SPD deputy director for administration and officer in charge, ordered the conversion of the district public information office and media lounge into a detention room for Arroyo, according to Chief Insp. Jenny Tecson.
Tecson, the SPD spokesperson, said her staff moved some furniture to make room for a bed. She said the district logistics office was to set up a wooden divider to give the prospective occupant some privacy and to separate the receiving area from the sleeping area.
The room, beyond which is the district grandstand area where police-organized events are held, has been given a fresh coat of paint and is pretty much ready for occupancy, Tecson said.
Joel Pelicano, clerk of court of Pasay RTC Branch 112, said on Friday that the court would conduct an inspection of the SPD detention cell possibly tomorrow, to check on its condition as well as the security arrangements.
Pelicano told reporters that Judge Mupas may personally make the visit or delegate a member of the court staff to do the inspection for him.
He clarified that this did not mean the judge was favoring Arroyo's detention at the SPD, only that it was the proper procedure.
Pelicano discounted an immediate transfer of Arroyo from St. Luke's to the SPD headquarters, saying the court would still have to weigh the arguments that the prosecution and defense would raise.
He said the court had given the prosecution and defense until Tuesday to formalize the proposals they made during Friday's hearing.
After Tuesday, the two panels will be given time to comment on their respective proposals, Pelicano said.
