President Benigno Aquino III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—President Aquino left for Bali, Indonesia, on Thursday with instructions to his Cabinet to maintain the peace in case of developments in the ongoing clash between the Palace and the Supreme Court on former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s bid to travel abroad pending her investigation for plunder and election sabotage.
The instructions would cover the situation following Friday’s special en banc session of the high court.
Aquino left shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday for Bali to attend the 19th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) but he made no mention of the current crisis being confronted by his administration in his departure speech.
The Department of Justice had barred Arroyo from leaving the country despite the high court’s issuance of a temporary restraining order stopping the government from enforcing a travel ban on Arroyo and her husband, Jose Miguel.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, who was among the Cabinet members at the air base, said that the President instructed them to “ensure the peace if there are developments.”
“The positions (of the executive and judiciary) are not the same so (we will) just make sure there will be no chaos,” he said.
Robredo said they were expecting protests to erupt over the controversy and authorities have been advised to ensure tolerance for the protest actions.
He added they would monitor developments in Friday’s special en banc session of the high court on various petitions concerning Arroyo’s averted foreign trip.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Aquino told them to “assess the situation and come up with an appropriate plan of action, depending on the developments.”
“We do have a pending motion for reconsideration, so my directive to the Bureau of Immigration stays. That is to prevent or bar the Arroyo’s from leaving,” De Lima told reporters.
In his departure speech, Aquino said that Asean leaders would tackle the issues confronting the region, including the plight of overseas Filipinos workers, trafficking persons, maritime security and peace process.
“We will also be with leaders of countries like China, Japan, Korea, India and America. We will take the opportunity to iron out any wrinkle in our countries and strengthen further our alliance,” President Aquino said.
He said he would work to strengthen further cooperation in the areas of maritime security, disaster management, prevention of crime and terrorism and protection of the environment and promotion of investments.