Sen. Angara cites reason why Arroyo will return to Philippines

MANILA, Philippines—The pressure of international opinion would be enough to force former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to return to the country and face the charges filed against her, Senator Edgardo Angara said on Thursday as he favored allowing her to seek treatment abroad.

“Why are we holding people from traveling? Because we feel that they may not come back anymore and they may dodge whatever legal and judicial process may be laid against them? But I think in this case of President Arroyo, the probability of evading the legal process of our country maybe remote especially in this time and era where practically there’s no place to hide,” he said during a regular forum in the Senate.

“Media will always find you. The arm of the law is longer now than before and you can’t hide anywhere you go,” he said.

And with Arroyo’s stature, Angara said, it would be difficult for her not to submit to international pressure.

“The pressure of international opinion is so great and I think no person who has occupied such a high position as she, having become chief of state, will not submit to international opinion,” he said.

Even the most hardened criminals, the senator said, were always brought to The Hague.

Angara, though, acknowledged that if Arroyo would go to countries with no extradition treaty with the Philippines, then the former leader “can just stay put and not move and nothing will happen.”

“But sabi ko nga (as I’ve said), it’s beyond the legality, it’s beyond the formality. It’s the pressure of international opinion that will move her. And she may not want to further erode her legacy and her place in history by becoming a fugitive of law,” he said.

Angara insisted that a person’s right to have access to expert medical attention should not be debatable.

“Unfortunately, she may have very low credibility but that to me is almost beside the point. It’s one’s life (that is at stake) whether that person is credible or not; I think one life is as valuable as the next and we ought to save every single life. And if that person can afford access to the best medical attention, why deny him that?”