SC grants GMA holiday furlough

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday gave former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo an early Christmas gift when it allowed her to celebrate Christmas and New Year with her family at her house in La Vista Subdivision, Quezon City.

This was announced by SC spokesman Theodore Te after the court’s regular en banc session.

In a press conference, Te said the furlough would include the periods from 8 a.m. on Dec. 23 to 5 p.m. on Dec. 26 and 8 a.m. on Dec. 30 to 5 p.m. on Jan. 2, 2016.

The furlough would be “spent exclusively” at her house in La Vista Subdivision.

The SC also directed the Sandiganbayan’s sheriff to coordinate with the Philippine National Police and report to the court on or before Jan. 11, 2016.

The high court also ordered the solicitor general to answer the plea for house arrest.

The SC issued the furlough after stopping her trial for plunder by issuing a status quo ante order that will be in effect until Feb. 19, 2016.

Arroyo is on trial for her alleged participation in embezzling P366 million intelligence funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office from 2008 to 2010.

The SC granted Arroyo the furlough pending the resolution of her urgent motion for house arrest.

She filed the motion pending the SC’s ruling on the merit of her petition seeking to reverse the Sandiganbayan’s decision denying her bail plea in connection with the plunder case filed against her. Arroyo’s camp said the former president is still entitled to bail for two reasons: her continued detention has resulted in the impairment of her health, and she is demonstrably not a flight risk.

She is also questioning the dismissal of her demurrer to evidence, which paved the way for the plunder trial against her.