Aquino clarifies comment on Arroyo arrest

LEGASPI CITY, Philippines—After having stated he would not object to a house arrest for his predecessor, President Benigno Aquino on Friday said he would leave it to the court to decide on such a request of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s pending the hearing of her electoral sabotage case.

Speaking to reporters after he attended the first National Media Conference on Climate Change Adaptation here at Bicol University, Aquino made it clear it was the Pasay City regional trail court that has jurisdiction over the case of Arroyo and as such will have to make the decision whether she would be placed under house arrest.

Arroyo was allowed to stay at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City since her arrest last November 18, a few days after a failed attempt to fly abroad purportedly to seek treatment for a bone ailment.

“They are the ones empowered to decide where to incarcerate people that were ordered arrested,” he said, noting that the executive, on the other hand, was tasked to protect the implementation of the law.

“Prudence dictates that I should not comment on the matter … I might be construed as trying to influence the decision of the court.”

Reminded that Justice Secretary Leila de Lima had stated earlier his position that he would not object to any hospital or house arrest for Arroyo, Aquino clarified he was only referring to his non-objection to the hospital arrest for the former President.

On moves of Arroyo’s lawyers to question the memorandum circular order that allows the Department of Justice to issue watch-list and hold-departure orders, Aquino said that it was Arroyo herself who issued the order.

“When it was still their time in power, this law is good and they implement it … now that it is being applied to them, the law suddenly is not right … I think the law is right and that was why I implemented it,” he told reporters.