GMA trial to resume Nov. 15

MANILA, Philippines - The Pasay City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 112 has set aside a motion of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to postpone the pre-trial of Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to Jan. 31 next year and scheduled it on Nov. 15 and 22.

“The Oct. 25 schedule was reset to allow the Comelec to finish its electoral duties, but the pre-trial will proceed as scheduled,” Felda Domingo, court spokesperson, said yesterday.

Pre-trial hearings are also scheduled on Jan. 31 and Feb. 7 next year.

Benjamin Santos, Arroyo’s counsel, filed the opposition to delay the trial of the electoral sabotage case against the former president.

He said the argument of the prosecution that they are busy with the election period is not a valid reason to delay the proceedings.

During the Sept. 23 pre-trial, the prosecution submitted their 28-page brief, including the list of 59 witnesses lined up against Arroyo and her co-accused.

The defense, however, reiterated their earlier stand not to submit any trial brief.

As this developed, Ombudsman prosecutors handling the P365.9-million plunder case against Arroyo are objecting to her continued detention at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City.

However, they are willing to allow her to be detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) custodial center in Camp Crame, where two of her co-accused are currently detained.

Director Diosdado Calonge said he and his panel of prosecutors will oppose Arroyo’s motion for hospital arrest, which will be heard by the Sandiganbayan’s First Division today.

“We will ask time to file comment or opposition, we will oppose,” Calonge told The STAR, saying the former president should be detained in a regular jail facility.

“The law must apply equally to all,” he said, adding, however, that if Arroyo would want to be detained in Camp Crame, the prosecution will be amenable to it.

GMA still in pain

According to the director of VMMC, Arroyo is still in pain and the scheduled exam to determine if her potassium level had normalized was not done on Tuesday as planned because of this.

“We had to defer taking her blood for potassium determination due to pain,” Nona Legaspi said yesterday.

Legaspi said they were going to try to take the blood sample if the former president got better.

Arroyo is under hospital arrest once again at the VMMC in Quezon City.– With Michael Punongbayan, Paolo Romero, Reinir Padua