Court lets Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo travel

MANILA, Philippines—A Quezon City court has allowed Ang Galing Pinoy Party-list Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo to go to the United States for three weeks on “semi-official” business.

In an order issued Friday, Judge Marie Christine Jacob of Regional Trial Court Branch 100 granted the bid of Arroyo to go to California on official business from Nov. 14 to Dec. 7.

To ensure Arroyo’s return to the country, the court increased Arroyo’s bond from P20,000 to P60,000 per count of failing to file income tax return (ITR).

His lawyer, Ruy Alberto Rondain, told the Inquirer in a phone interview that he had already paid P60,000 of the P180,000 required bond for three counts of the offense.

“We will post the remaining P120,000 immediately as my client will fly on Monday,” he explained.

The court released copies of the two-page order on Arroyo’s travel request only to concerned parties on Friday afternoon.

Reading part of the order, Rondain said the court noted that: “the Constitutional Right to travel may not be restricted at this stage of the proceedings.”

The defense lawyer also quoted the order as saying that: “there is no threat to national security, public safety and public health” should Arroyo be allowed to travel.

Arroyo has been charged with tax evasion along with his wife Angela for allegedly failing to file their income tax returns for certain taxable years.

The congressman was charged with three counts of allegedly failing to file income tax returns from 2007 to 2009 while his wife was charged with seven counts for allegedly failing to file ITRs from 2003 to 2009.

Only the congressman will be flying to the United States on Monday with his wife remaining in the country.

In asking the court’s permission to go abroad, Arroyo said he was scheduled to meet with some members of the Filipino community in Southern California and would also solicit donations for his constituents’ medicines.