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Gloria Arroyo pleads not guilty to poll sabotage charge
“Wala naman po siya talagang kasalanan. Para sa amin, ang arraignment na ito ang first step towards acquittal sapagkat napakanipis naman po talaga nitong mga paratang laban sa ating dating Pangulo,” Topacio told reporters. Mrs. Arroyo, in a statement sent to the media after her arraignment, said she chose to face the court, presided by Judge Jesus Mupas, to show that she respects the judicial process.
“Despite the continuous and massive vilification campaign against me and my family, I have always said that I will dispute all charges in the proper forum. I am submitting myself to this process not only to clear my name but also as part of my commitment to respect and abide by the rules and orders of our courts,” said Mrs. Arroyo, who now represents Pampanga's second legislative district in the House of Representatives.
She added that she hopes that “our leaders uphold and our people have faith in the constitution and the rule of law.”
No more reading of charges
Mrs. Arroyo, who arrived at the Pasay RTC wearing an off-white, long-sleeved dress and a neck brace, was accompanied to her arraignment by her husband, former First Gentleman Jose Miguel and her sons, Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado and Ang Galing Pinoy Rep. Juan Miguel.
Also present were Mrs. Arroyo’s chief of staff, Elena Bautista-Horn, and lead counsel, lawyer Benjamin Santos.
The former President, who is suffering from bone mineral disorder, was brought from her detention room at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City to the area by a white coaster escorted by three police vehicles. Shortly after filing her not-guilty plea, she was immediately brought back to the VMMC.
The arraignment lasted barely 20 minutes because Mrs. Arroyo waived the reading of the charges against her during the court proceedings, Topacio said. “Ibig sabihin po kasi, naunawaan na ng dating Pangulo ‘yung krimen na ipinaparatang sa kanya. Alam na niya ang ipiplead niya, which is not guilty,” he said. The pre-trial and preliminary conference on Mrs. Arroyo’s case will be held on April 19, he added. Poll sabotage The former President is being accused of ordering the rigging of the 2007 polls in favor of candidates running under the administration party. Section 42 of the Omnibus Election Code, as amended by Republic Act (RA) 9369, says that electoral sabotage is committed when a person “tampers, increases or decreases the votes received by a candidate in any election" or when a member of the board of election inspector “refuses after proper verification and hearing to credit the correct votes or deduct such tampered votes."
According to RA 9369, which Mrs. Arroyo herself signed during her incumbency, poll sabotage is punishable by life imprisonment.
Mrs. Arroyo was arrested last November 18 —t he same day the Commission on Elections (Comelec) filed the complaint against her at the Pasay City regional trial court.
She is the second former President of the Philippines to be arrested on criminal charges filed in court. The first was her predecessor, Joseph Estrada, whom she pardoned after conviction on plunder charges.
Mrs. Arroyo was placed under police custody three days after she attempted to leave the country for medical treatment abroad by virtue of a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court on the watch list order issued against her.
Immigration officials, acting on instructions from Justice chief Leila de Lima, however, barred Mrs. Arroyo from leaving the country. De Lima then described Mrs. Arroyo as a “flight risk” given the various complaints filed against her.
At present, Mrs. Arroyo is also facing graft charges before the Sandiganbayan in connection with the botched national broadband network deal her administration entered into with China's ZTE Corp.
The Justice Department has also recommended the filing of malversation charges against Mrs. Arroyo and three others for allegedly misuing millions of funds intended for overseas workers. — LBG/RSJ/HS, GMA News
