Raul says PNoy has prejudged GMA

MANILA, Philippines - The Aquino administration has already a prejudged the ailing former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the former president's ally said today.

"Even before the issuance of a TRO (temporary restraining order), President Aquino has already announced that he wants GMA to be jailed by December," former Justice secretary Raul Gonzalez told the weekly forum in Greenhills, San Juan City this morning.

Gonzalez added: "There was already a pre-judgment by the man with the highest position of the land. He has the power to appoint judges, to promote judges."

The former justice secretary, a political ally of Mrs. Arroyo and her legal consultant, also questioned the manner of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) filing of the electoral sabotage charges against the former president at the Pasay City Regional Trial Court on November 18 and the haste in the issuance of the warrant of arrest.

After the filing of the case, it was raffled to Judge Jesus Mupas of Branch 112, who in turn ordered the arrest of the former president the same day.

"They were able to file more than five volumes of documents with attachment thicker than the yellow pages. Paano mababasa ni (Judge Jesus) Mupas yun? And still he was able to issue a warrant of arrest," the former justice chief said.

He reiterated that the prosecutors managed to file the charges and get an arrest warrant in less than 12 hours.

"The battle now shifted to Mupas," Gonzales said.

For his part, UST civil law faculty dean Nilo Divina, said it would be wise for the lawyers of Mrs. Arroyo to forego with all the technicalities and just prepare for the presentation of their counter evidence during the trial proper.

"If I'm the lawyer of GMA, I will forego technicalities and delay the proceedings and go straight to trial," Divina said, adding that there is already a public opinion and perception that Mrs. Arroyo is already guilty of the charges.

Gonzales, however, belied that Mrs. Arroyo's battery of lawyers is trying to delay the court proceedings.

"We're not delaying this process. We are simply exhausting the legal remedies available to us," he said.

To Mrs. Arroyo's detractors, he called on them to show sympathy to the former President with all the legal troubles and health condition she has been going through.

Mrs. Arroyo is also facing at six plunder complaints before the Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman. Justice chief Leila de Lima had said that the government is planning to file more charges against the former president.

The former president's husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, is also facing several charges. Their son, Ang Galing Pinoy Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo and his wife, meanwhile, are facing tax evasion charges.

Last week, Mrs. Arroyo lawyers asked the court that they will file a motion for house arrest, citing her doctors' findings that she is already fit to leave the St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig City, where the former president is now under hospital arrest.

On Monday, the former president's lawyers filed two motions, asking for house arrest and continued hospital arrest. In asking the continued hospital arrest, the lawyers noted that Mrs. Arroyo was diagnosed last week with colitis.

The lawyers of the Comelec have asked for Mrs. Arroyo to be transferred instead to the Southern Police District's detention facility, which is now undergoing improvements in anticipation of an order by Mupas.

Mupas yesterday issued a subpoena on Mrs. Arroyo's main attending physician, Juliet Gopez-Cervantes, based on the motion of the Comelec's lawyers. Cervantes has been summoned to appear before the court at 9 a.m. tomorrow.