Former Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos may finally get temporary liberty from more than eight months in detention after a Pasay City court on Friday allowed him to post P1-million bail on charges of electoral sabotage.

 

But the Pasay City court's Branch 112 also issued a hold departure order against Abalos, effectively barring him from going abroad, court sheriff Rodelio Buneviaje said.

"Bibigyan ng pagkakataon si Chairman Abalos para makapag-post ng bail. On its own, nag-issue rin ang court ng HDO (hold departure order)," Buenviaje said in an interview on dzBB radio.

The sheriff went to the Southern Police District to serve the order from Judge Jesus Mupas to Abalos, who has been detained at the SPD since December 2011.

A separate report by dzBB's Sam Nielsen said copies of the HDO will be furnished to the Bureau of Immigration and the Departments of Justice and Foreign Affairs.

Last June, Abalos had been allowed to post bail by the Pasay City court Branch 117, where he faces 11 counts of electoral fraud.

Abalos' lawyer Brigido Dulay said the bail will amount to P1 million, or P500,000 each for the two counts of electoral sabotage.

"Oo, okay na. May order to grant bail to Chairman Abalos, galing kay sheriff. P500,000 for each count, that is two counts, P1 million yan," Dulay said in an interview also on dzBB.

For his part, Abalos' son Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur Abalos said the court's order indicated the prosecution "was not able" to establish his father's "strong guilt."

"Sinasabi rito ang prosecution hindi na-establish ang clarity [of the case]," he said.

Besides, he said, his father is already old.

Asked what his father plans to do once he is out of detention, Mayor Abalos said: "Plano niya makauwi at makasama ang pamilya." — RSJ/LBG, GMA News