ELLEN TORDESILLAS: LET'S NOT ALLOW ARROYO TO ROB US OF OUR HUMANITY
MANILA, NOVEMBER 9, 2011 (MALAYA) Ellen Tordesillas ('We should not allow Arroyo to rob us of our humanity. Let us not do unto Gloria what Gloria did unto us.')
IT'S no secret that I'm not an admirer of Gloria Arroyo and her husband, Mike.
I remain firm in my stand that she should be made accountable for the crimes that she has done to the Filipino people, foremost of which is the stealing of the presidency in 2001 and in 2004.
The damage caused by her destruction of democratic institutions just to keep her hold on power deeply affected the mindset of the public. It will take many years to rebuild those institutions which several administrations to build.
But I'm for allowing her to travel abroad for medical treatment.
The Philippine Constitution guarantees the right of every Filipino citizen to travel. Sec. 6 of the Bill of Rights states: "The liberty of abode and of changing the same within the limits prescribed by law shall not be impaired except upon lawful order of the court. Neither shall the right to travel be impaired except in the interest of national security, public safety, or public health as may be provided by law."
Lawyers of Arroyo are invoking that constitutional guarantee in its petition before the Supreme Court to junk the Arroyo couple's inclusion in a watch list order by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in connection with electoral case filed them for their alleged role in the 2007 poll fraud.
It doesn't matter that the Department of Health and an official of the Philippine Medical Association said that Gloria Arroyo's problem with her spine can be treated here. The choice of doctor is personal to a patient. It's not for the government to impose on the Arroyos the doctor who would treat them.
Of course, the issue of Arroyo's travel abroad is not just a medical issue. It's political. That's why Justice Secretary Leila de Lima is taking time to decide. She must still be seeking instructions from Malacañang because ultimately, it would be the call of President Aquino.
Allowing a former president or spouse of a former president to travel abroad for medical treatment has its precedence. President Aquino's father, Sen. Benigno Aquino, Jr. was allowed by his arch enemy, Ferdinand Marcos, to seek treatment for his heart ailment in the United States. Imelda Marcos, after her return to the Philippines in 1991, has been going in and out of the country despite her many cases (total of 901 in the beginning, now down to less than 10). Arroyo allowed former President Estrada to have his knee operation in Hongkong.
One of the concerns raised in Gloria Arroyo's travel request is, she might not return and therefore, she could not be made accountable for the crimes that she is accused of.
It's understandable that many do not put any value to Arroyo's promise that she will return to face the charges. She promised not to run for the presidency in December 2002, in front of Jose Rizal's monument, only to turn around in 2004.
But Arroyo's lies should not harden us and do what she did to her opponents when she was in power.
She deprived many people of their liberties even to the extent of twisting the law just to keep them incarcerated. The case of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and the Magdalo officers is one example. Arroyo reneged on the agreement she had approved in Oakwood that only the core officers would charged in the military court, and ordered the filing of the unbailable charge of coup d'etat in a civilian court despite the fact that the Oakwood mutiny did not bear the elements of a coup.
The malicious intent was clear: to keep Trillanes and company in prison for life.
Arroyo tried to do the same thing to Sen. Panfilo Lacson -- perverting justice to put him behind bars.
But things have a way of correcting themselves. The situation has been reversed and she is in danger of becoming at the receiving end of injustice that she inflicted on her political enemies.
If allowed to travel, it's possible Gloria Arroyo for once will be true to her promise and come back. Or maybe she won't. The burden is on her.
We should not allow Arroyo to rob us of our humanity. Let us not do unto Gloria what Gloria did unto us.
----------------------------------------------------------
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2011 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
----------------------------------------------------------
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/phnotweet
This is the PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE (PHNO) Mailing List.
To stop receiving our news items, please send a blank e-mail addressed to: phno-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Please visit our homepage at: http://www.newsflash.org/
(c) Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
-------------------------------------------------------------
