MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to immediately lift the temporary restraining order (TRO) it issued allowing former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her husband Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo to travel abroad before the filing of charges against them for plunder and election sabotage.
In a 37-page consolidated urgent motion for reconsideration, the DOJ insisted that the Department Circular 41 (which provided for the issuance of watch-list orders against persons under investigation) “is presumed valid and constitutional.”
The DOJ, through the Office of the Solicitor General, said the issuance of the TRO “is a prejudgment of the main case and effectively renders the instant petition and all related proceedings useless.”
“The requisites for the issuance for a TRO and a writ of preliminary injunction are not present in this case,” the DOJ said.