Ex-poll supervisor hits SC TRO

MANILA, Philippines - A witness against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in an election fraud case hit the Supreme Court’s temporary restraining order (TRO) on the government ban on her leaving the country for violating her right to equal protection under the Constitution.

Former Cotabato election supervisor Yogie Martirizar said she was in the same position as the Pampanga lawmaker in 2007 when she was a respondent in a similar election fraud case also seeking medical treatment abroad.

“Clearly, it violates my constitutional right to equality,” she said.

But Martirizar said a watchlist order (WLO) from the Department of Justice (DOJ) prevented her from going to China.

“We have the same WLO and we were all respondents in the same electoral sabotage case,” she said.

“Why allow them to leave when the Arroyo administration has prevented me to travel and also seek treatments abroad for four years?”

In an interview with The STAR at the DOJ, Martirizar said she was about to travel to China in 2007 to seek treatment for her bone calcium deficiency.

“I was already in the airport when I learned that I was subject of WLO,” she said.

“I could not do anything then because they said the WLO and Department Circular No. 41 were presumed legal. And now, they’re already saying it’s illegal?”

Martirizar’s lawyer Nena Santos said they were planning to file a manifestation with the SC to intervene in Arroyo’s petition questioning the constitutionality of the WLO and DC No. 41.

Martirizar said she had submitted to the National Board of Canvassers a substitute certificate of canvas (COC) allegedly upon orders of former election chairman Benjamin Abalos and regional election director Michael Abas.