Palace aide downplays political asylum flap

MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang on Saturday downplayed Justice Secretary Leila De Lima’s alleged faux pas in broadcasting an unverified text message that former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was seeking political asylum in the Domican Republic.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte was reacting to the Arroyo camp’s threat to seek the disbarment of De Lima for releasing the unconfirmed information.

“This is part of all the noise that is going around. What is the issue? What is the focus of this issue? Before it used to be medical treatment. Now, it’s legal. Now, it has turned into an issue against Secretary De Lima,” she said in her weekly media forum over the government-run Radyo ng Bayan.

Valte recalled that Arroyo initially asked to be allowed to go abroad to seek medical treatment. She noted that the discussion later turned into Arroyo’s constitutional right to travel.

Valte defended De Lima, saying the justice secretary was merely responding when asked by a reporter about a text message claiming that Arroyo was planning to seek political asylum.

“Secretary De Lima mentioned it outright—that (information) was unverified, that that text message was circulating, but we try our best to verify whatever information” the government comes across, Valte said.

Valte added in Filipino: “So at that particular point, she was very categorical that those reports were unverified and they came from you (the media). I know that it’s been going around in text messages. We’ll look into it.”

Elena Bautista-Horn, Arroyo’s spokesperson, earlier challenged De Lima to present proof of the former President’s supposed plan to request for political asylum.

Horn said De Lima’s public accusation was “calculated to influence the Supreme Court on our petition to nullify the watch-list order because she knows fully well that [the government] will lose the case.”

Arroyo’s legal spokesperson, Raul Lambino, also minced no words.

“After P-Noy (Aquino) made a retarded offer to foot the bill for foreign doctors who will examine [Arroyo] in the country, now De Lima and the Palace henchmen have gone mad and wild in arguing their case in public,” he said.

“The latest statement of De Lima is an admission and indubitable proof that the [Aquino administration] had politically harassed, insulted and maligned the Arroyos, and will keep them suffering with degrading and inhumane treatment.”

Some senators suggested that the Department of Justice expedite the filing of cases against Arroyo in court, which was empowered to issue a hold-departure order. But the Palace did not appear to be in a hurry, arguing that Arroyo was being accorded due process.

“What we would prefer is that the DOJ goes step-by-step on the process,” Valte said.

“At this point, we are already being accused of political persecution but, on one hand, you have also comments that we are too slow in prosecuting. At this point, we want to ensure that whatever cases are on the table will go through the proper process, will go through due process and that the rights of whoever is being accused of anything are afforded and are protected.”

Valte said the Palace also preferred that whatever case would be eventually filed against Arroyo in court would be based purely on evidence.