Respect order allowing Arroyos to leave, says SC

Government must "respect" a temporary restraining order that allows former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband, Jose Miguel, to leave the country or risk being held in contempt. Supreme Court spokesman and court administrator Midas Marquez issued the caveat after Justice Secretary Leila de Lima's insisted she would not let the Arroyos leave the country. Reports have it that the Arroyo couple intends to fly to Singapore tonight after the Supreme Court issued an order barring government from enforcing an Immigration watch list against them. De Lima noted the Arroyo couple remains on the watch list order because the Department of Justice has yet to receive a copy of the SC resolution. In an interview on Tuesday night, Marquez said that the magistrates finally finished drafting the TRO and has already sent the DOJ a copy. "If they defy a lawful order of court, they may be liable for contempt," Marquez said. "Pero sana ‘wag na umabot doon. Ito ang ating batas, ang ating pamamaraan kaya sana i-respeto natin ito," he added. In a press briefing in Malacañang, De Lima stressed that the TRO should be "held in abeyance" because the government still plans to file a motion for reconsideration before the high court. 'Immediately executory' But Marquez said the TRO is considered "immediately executory" and could already be implemented even if oral arguments have not yet been held. The high court has scheduled next Tuesday an oral argument on the Arroyos' petition questioning the watch list orders against them, as well as the constitutionality of a department circular authorizing the DOJ to issue watch list orders against people being criminally investigated by the agency. "Hindi naman kailangan mag-oral arguments muna bago mag-TRO. We have witnessed a number of times before [that it can be done]," Marquez said. "We have to realize that the court already took into consideration several values here, like value of life, right to travel, and the presumption of innocence," he added. Marquez's statement came shortly after Mr. Arroyo's lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, posted a P2 million cash bond before the Supreme Court at about 6:30 p.m. Posting a bond was one of three conditions set by the court before the Arroyos can leave the country. The two other conditions required the couple to delegate respective legal representatives to accommodate legal documents coming from the court, and for the couple to report to a Philippine consulate as soon as they arrive at their destination abroad. Topacio said he was already appointed as representative to both the Arroyos. The lawyer earlier said the Arroyo couple had booked a flight to Singapore, and probably to Spain if medical consultations in the neighboring Asian country will not suffice. Asked to comment on De Lima's stand on the TRO, Topacio advised the Justice secretary to no longer "provoke an incident at the airport." He added that it would be "undignified" of De Lima to stop the Arroyos despite the court order. — VS, GMA News