Arroyo, Abalos arraignment reset for March 19

The Pasay City Regional Trial Court (RTC) has reset to March the scheduled arraignments of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair Benjamin Abalos Sr. after lawyers appealed separate orders issued by Pasay RTC Judge Jesus Mupas.

The arraignment of Arroyo, who is accused of electoral sabotage with former Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr. and provincial election supervisor Lintang Bedol, was moved to March 19 from its initial setting on February 20, according to court spokesperson Felda Domingo.

“The Comelec asked the court for time to respond to Ampatuan’s motion for reconsideration” on his bid to have the case junked, Domingo explained.

Mupas gave the Comelec 10 days to file its comment on Ampatuan’s appeal.

Reconsideration

Abalos’ arraignment scheduled for February 13 was moved to March 26 after his lawyers appealed to Mupas to reconsider his decisions pertaining to three of their pleadings which the court had consistently struck down.

Abalos had asked the court to dismiss his case for lack of jurisdiction and had even sought Mupas’ inhibition from hearing the case after he accused the judge of sending emissaries to allegedly extort from his family.

Both petitions were turned down by Mupas.

The case of Arroyo, Ampatuan and Bedol involved the purported massive cheating in Maguindanao during the 2007 senatorial elections.

Abalos, along with coaccused North Cotabato election supervisor Yogie Martirizar and military agent Peter Reyes, were accused of poll irregularities in the province during the same period.

As this developed, the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division has granted the request of Ombudsman prosecutors to consolidate the graft case of

Romulo Neri with those of Arroyo since the cases all involved the $329-million National Broadband Network deal which fell through due to allegations of bribery and overpricing.

Arroyo’s graft cases, which were filed late last year, have yet to go to trial. Neri’s case, which was filed in 2010, is already undergoing trial.

Unnecessary expenses

“The court is of the considered opinion that consolidation of the aforementioned cases will enable the government to save unnecessary expenses and as emphasized by the Supreme Court, will avoid multiplicity of suits, prevent delay, clear congested dockets, and simplify the work of the trial court,” the Fifth Division said.

Arroyo’s coaccused are Abalos, her husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, and former Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza.—With a report from Leila B. Salaverria