Arroyo seeks third term in Congress

Former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—Detained former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is not fading out of politics just yet, at least in her native Pampanga province.

Arroyo, 68, jailed while awaiting trial for plunder in connection with the alleged misuse of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) funds, is seeking a third and last term as representative of Pampanga’s second district, her political allies said.

She became the country’s first President to run for a lower position in 2010 immediately after her 10 years in office ended. As Vice President, she replaced in January 2001 then President Joseph Estrada, who was ousted and convicted of plunder. She won the 2004 presidential election, an exercise marred by allegations of fraud.

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD), responding to the appeal of Arroyo’s lawyers, told the Philippine government last week that its national laws “should comply with all obligations under international human rights law” over her plunder case.

The government has accused Arroyo of using P366 million in intelligence funds of the PCSO for personal gain from 2008 to 2010.

UNWGAD said Arroyo’s detention was “in contravention” of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Strong support

But Arroyo retains a strong political support in Pampanga.

The homegrown provincial political party, Kambilan, led by Gov. Lilia Pineda, is again supporting Arroyo’s congressional bid, according to her son, Vice Gov. Dennis Pineda.

“As senator, she helped Pampanga rise from the Mount Pinatubo disaster. She had done a lot for the progress of Pampanga when she was President. As a congresswoman, she continues to serve the district although she is under hospital arrest,” said the vice governor, a Kambilan convener.

Arroyo was first arrested in July 2010 in an electoral sabotage case for which she was allowed to post bail in July 2012. The Sandiganbayan ordered her arrested again in October 2012 for plunder involving PCSO funds.

Claiming neck and spinal ailments, she has been detained at Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City. She was reelected Pampanga representative in 2013 while in detention.

Raul Lambino, senior deputy secretary general of Arroyo’s political party, Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), said on Thursday that he would file Arroyo’s certificate of candidacy (COC) in the Commission on Elections (Comelec) provincial office in this Pampanga capital, but did not give a date.

In an earlier interview, Lydia Pangilinan, election supervisor in Pampanga, said Arroyo updated her voter’s record in December 2014, after she failed to vote in the 2013 elections due to frail health and her hospital detention.

Unopposed

“Just like any regular voter, [Arroyo] can vote or run for a position in the 2016 elections,” Pangilinan said.

Emmanuel Ignacio, assistant Comelec director in Central Luzon, earlier said Arroyo could only be removed from office if convicted of electoral sabotage, plunder or graft.

He said Arroyo could not be disqualified from seeking public office on account of poor health.

Arroyo won the 2010 and 2013 elections in her district, which received more than P2.2 billion worth of projects when she was President.

She went on the campaign trail for her first term as representative but her allies campaigned for her reelection. In Arroyo’s absence, her staff made the rounds of six towns in her district for consultations, services and projects.

Several of her allies among local officials in Guagua, Sasmuan, Lubao, Santa Rita, Porac and Floridablanca towns expect her to run unopposed in 2016.

Attendance

Her attendance record in the 16th Congress was blank from Jan. 20, 2014, up to Dec. 17, 2014. In the 15th Congress, from July 26, 2010, to June 6, 2013, Arroyo was present in 111 of 165 session days.

Her website showed Arroyo had sponsored or authored 53 bills and coauthored 204 others.

Pampanga’s second district, however, has been getting fewer projects from the Department of Public Works and Highways. From 36 projects worth P178.2 million in 2012, the record was down to a single project in 2014 worth P38.606 million and seven in 2015 (as of June) for P57.986 million.

Her Priority Development Assistance Fund (pork barrel) in 2010 and 2011 totaled P45.781 million, sharing P8.081 million with districts in the provinces of Quezon, Occidental Mindoro, Leyte, Davao del Sur and Bohol for financial assistance and scholarship grants, Department of Budget and Management reports showed.

She also gave P1.3 million for scholarship grants in the first district of Zambales province and P1.4 million as financial aid for medical missions and purchases of medicines by local governments in the second district of Camarines Sur province.

Bishop’s plea

In Quezon province, Bishop Emilio Marquez of the Diocese of Lucena repeated his appeal to President Aquino to allow Arroyo to be placed on house arrest.

“I and most Filipinos really pity her. President Aquino is the only one who is not because of his vindictive heart,” Marquez said in an interview on Saturday.

“As the former President of the country, she should be accorded dignity by placing her under house arrest,” said Marquez, a close friend of Arroyo’s.

“But my earnest appeals and those of others have always fallen on deaf ears. And we’re all very sad,” he said.

The bishop said that during the martial law regime, then President Ferdinand Marcos allowed his political foe, Sen. Jovito Salonga, to be placed under house arrest due to his failing health.

He also recalled that Arroyo had allowed her predecessor, former President Joseph Estrada to be also placed under house arrest in Tanay, Rizal province.

“Even P-Noy’s (President Aquino’s) late father, Ninoy, was also released from prison to seek medical treatment abroad,” Marquez said.

He noted that the Sandiganbayan First Division, which is hearing Arroyo’s plunder case, had acquitted most of her coaccused or allowed them to post bail. With a report from Delfin T. Mallari Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon