/ GMA ALLOWED TO ATTEND FUNERAL
[PHOTO - HOUSE NECROLOGICAL
SERVICE Members of the House of Representatives pay their last respects to the
late Rep. Ignacio 'Iggy' Arroyo during Monday's necrological service at Batasang
Pambansa. (KJ Rosales)]
MANILA, MARCH 7, 2012 (MANILA TIMES) Written by : Llanesca T.
Panti, Reporter - THE late Rep. Ignacio "Iggy" Arroyo of Negros Occidental—who
described himself as a man dominated by women and loved it—was the greatest love
of his legal wife and is now headed to heaven.
These were the revelations of Iggy's legal wife Alicia "Aleli" Arroyo and Fr.
Alex Balatbat during the necrological service and requiem Mass for the Negros
Occidental lawmaker held at the House of Representatives on Monday.
Such public display of affection proved too much to bear for Grace Ibuna,
with whom Iggy was having an affair until his death, who promptly walked out
even before Aleli could finish her piece.
Aleli's lawyers said that the walkout showed Grace's poor breeding.
In her speech after eulogies from her late husband's lawmaker friends, Iggy's
legal wife Aleli recalled sweet memories with her estranged husband.
"Nobody can comprehend the pain that his passing brought to our family. I
will remember him not only as a public servant, but the love of my life and a
good member of the House," she said.
Aleli is the second wife of Iggy and they have one child, 14-year-old Alelu.
They are still married since their annulment case is still pending. Iggy's
first marriage to Marilyn Jacinto, with whom he has two daughters named Bianca
and Dina, had been annulled.
After his marriage to Aleli failed, Iggy has maintained relationship with
Grace, a businesswoman, for the last five years. Grace returned to the hall only
after Aleli finished her speech.
With Grace out of the hall, Aleli recounted that she was captivated by the
late lawmaker's eyes and skill in playing the violin when they met in a birthday
party.
She also revealed that Iggy's love for her prompted her to ditch her MBA
course at Harvard.
"It was five months before I was set to pursue my MBA, but he told me that I
will do anything in my power to keep you and I will follow you wherever you go,"
Aleli said. "I will remember his caring, tender ways," she added.
Before Aleli's confession, Fr. Balatbat of the Diocese of Antipolo had
assured the bereaved Arroyo family that Iggy was in good hands.
"Ang tanong lamang rito ay kung mapupunta ba si Kuya Iggy sa langit. Oo,
papasok siya sa langit, sigurado ako roon [The only question here is, would Big
Brother Iggy go to heaven? I would say, yes, he will enter heaven. I am sure of
that]. And this is not only for his good works but also because of the love of
Jesus," Balatbat said during his homily.
"Galing siya [Iggy] sa Diyos, kaya babalik siya sa Diyos [He came from God,
he will return to God]. Big Brother Iggy, send our regards to God. You are with
Him now," he added. To Iggy's daughters Dina and Bianca, their father was simply
a loving one.
"He taught us to fight for happiness. He loved us and we will not forget how
his love made us feel. He said that in love, there are no regrets. Dad, if I
will be able to follow in your footsteps, that will be the greatest achievement
of my life," Dina said.
"In case I have not told you enough, I love you very much and you made me the
strong person I am today," Bianca said.
Rep. Antonio Lagdameo of Davao del Norte province, an opposition lawmaker
like Iggy, described his late friend as congenial, soft-spoken, an affectionate
partner, caring husband, adoring uncle, doting father, loyal friend, humble and
somebody who never tried to fight back at his tormentors.
Throughout his life, the younger Arroyo tried to shield his older brother,
Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo, the husband of former President Gloria Arroyo, from
controversy at least twice by putting his name on the line in both instances.
Before he admitted ownership of allegedly overpriced second-hand choppers
sold to the government by his older brother, the younger Arroyo also claimed
that he owned the controversial Jose Pidal account — a questionable bank account
with millions worth of deposits that Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a perennial critic of
the Arroyos, said belonged to Jose Miguel.
House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez of Quezon province said that Iggy made
sure that the basic needs of his constituents were met.
COURT ALLOWS ARROYO TO ATTEND IGGY'S
FUNERAL, COMELEC OPPOSED
BULLETIN - By JEAN FERNANDO, RIO ROSE
RIBAYA and CHARISSA M. LUCI
The Pasay City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Monday allowed former
President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to attend the funeral of
her late brother-in-law Negros Rep. Ignacio "Iggy" Arroyo on Friday, March 9.
RTC Branch 112 Judge Jesus Mupas, instead of conducting a hearing on the
motion to allow the former president to attend the funeral mass of Iggy, ordered
that Mrs. Arroyo could attend Iggy's funeral mass at the Arroyo ancestral house
on Badjao St., La Vista, Quezon City, after few minutes of conference at the
court's chamber room.
Last Friday, a lawyer of Mrs. Arroyo, Raymontri Santos, filed a motion
seeking permission for the former president to attend the last night of Iggy's
wake on Thursday and allowed to be back in the morning of Friday for the funeral
service.
Santos asked the court that the former president be allowed to be with her
family on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and be back on Friday at 8 a.m.
However, the Commission on Elections (Comelec), through lawyer Esmeralda
Ladra, opposed the motion, saying that the former president was already allowed
to be at the wake on March 1 for eight hours.
[PHOTO - The daughters of the late Negros Occidental Representative
Ignacio "Iggy" Arroyo embrace each other during the necrological mass at the
House of Representatives in Quezon City on Monday. Arroyo's body will be flown
to his home province before being brought back to Manila for burial on Friday.
Photo by Manny Palmero for
ABS-CBNnews.com]
Citing the tight security preparations needed to bring Mrs. Arroyo to La
Vista, Quezon City, from the Veterans' Memorial Medical Center where she is
under hospital arrest, Ladra said allowing her to attend the last night of the
wake would be difficult for her police escorts.
Ladra instead said that the former president be allowed to attend the funeral
service at 8 a.m. of Friday and should be immediately returned to the VMMC after
the mass.
She said that allowing the former president to attend the burial at the
Manila North Cemetery would only pose danger, considering that more supporters,
aside from relatives and friends, will be present.
Santos said they already agreed on the decision of Mupas, allowing the
president to be present during the funeral service of Iggy.
Santos said that although the former president would be allowed only half day
of Friday, it is already enough because she will be able to pay her last
respects to her brother-in-law as part of Filipino tradition.
Show respect
[PHOTO - Aleli Arroyo. INQUIRER FILE
PHOTO]
At the House of Representatives, the camp of Iggy's second wife, Alicia
"Aleli" Morales-Arroyo, asked Grace Ibuna "to please, show a little respect," as
the latter allegedly broke the solemnity of Iggy's necrological rites.
Before relatives of the Arroyo family could leave the plenary hall, lawyer
Lorna Kapunan called Ibuna, who was with the late solon until his final hours in
London, an "ill-bred" for walking out of Batasan Pambansa while Morales-Arroyo
was giving a speech in response to the eulogies given by House members.
"Grace, I'm sorry to say this to you. I understand that your parents are here
also but please show a little breeding... It is, to say the least, done in very
bad taste. As a matter of fact, when they have lined up to pay their last
respects she was holding court in the gallery," Kapunan claimed.
"Some people are just ill-bred ...There was some disrespect there," she
claimed.
Kapunan further claimed that Ibuna, who legally fought against Morales-Arroyo
for the custody of Iggy's remains in London, violated the compromise agreement
reached between both parties that arranged the schedule of the wake and funeral
in respect to the late lawmaker on February 21.
The lawyer, representing Morales-Arroyo, said that Ibuna committed the
violation when she allegedly disrespected the requiem mass and necrological
service for waving to some congressmen who attended the event.
"This is formal necrological services and the congressmen were distracted
because she would wave at them and of course, they would go to her," Kapunan
told reporters as soon as people started leaving the plenary hall.
"This is not really about who between the two of them deserves the last
moments. This is about respect for the congressman and we think now what she did
here showed absolute disrespect for the congressman. As a matter fact when Aleli
started to give her speech, she stood up and left," she claimed.
[PHOTO - Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, center, is flanked
by her husband Jose Miguel Arroyo, right, and son Diosdado "Dato" Arroyo as they
arrive at a Pasay City Court for her arraignment on electoral fraud charges in
Manila, Thursday Feb. 23, 2012. Arroyo, who is currently under hospital arrest,
pleaded not guilty to rigging the elections in a landmark case that is testing
her reformist successor's promise to fight a high-level corruption and move his
Southeast Asian nation beyond perennial instability. AP READ
EARLIER REPORT BELOW]
MANILA, Philippines - Former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo will be fully guarded but not handcuffed when she goes on
Thursday to the wake of her brother-in-law, Rep. Ignacio Arroyo.
Mrs. Arroyo has been allowed by the court to stay for eight hours at the wake
of the Negros Oriental representative at the Arroyo ancestral house in La Vista
Subdivision.
The furlough will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Pampanga lawmaker is facing electoral sabotage charges before a Pasay
court. She is under hospital arrest at Veterans Memorial Medical Center in
Quezon City.
A source said the former president's visit will be limited to the Arroyo
ancestral house.
"She cannot go out. But she won't be handcuffed," the source, who requested
anonymity, said.
Ibuna came to witness the lawmakers' tribute to the late brother of former
First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo with her mother, son, and daughters,
settling in the designated seat for her in the VIP Gallery of the plenary hall,
overlooking the area reserved for the family of the late congressmen.
Sitting quietly with other members of her family, Ibuna was greeted by Mike,
Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado "Datu" Arroyo, Ang Kasangga Party Rep. Juan Miguel
"Mikey" Arroyo, and Iggy's sister former Ang Kasangga Party Rep. Ma. Lourdes
Arroyo Lesaca.
House Deputy Speaker Crispin Remulla, House Majority Leader Neptali "Boyet"
Gonzales II, House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman
also went to condole with Ibuna in the VIP Gallery. Pangasinan Rep. Georgina
"Manay Gina" De Venecia, Senator Loren Legarda, and former Speaker Prospero
Nograles had a small talk with Ibuna in the VIP Gallery before proceeding to the
seats designated for lawmakers in the plenary.
Bianca Arroyo, Iggy's daughter with first wife Marilyn Jacinto, personally
fetched Ibuna and her children from their VIP Gallery seats to take a look at
Iggy's casket minutes before the formal service started.
In an ambush interview, Ibuna told Manila Bulletin that she will accompany
the body of Iggy and personally see its transport from Manila to Bacolod City at
the St. Mary Magdalene Church in Hinigaran, Negros Occidental for the wake until
March 8.
"I will be with him until the body is back to La Vista (Subdivision in Quezon
City on March 9)," Ibuna said.
House Deputy Minority Leader Ma. Milagros "Mitos" Magsaysay, one of the late
congressman's close friends in the House of Representatives, asked the camps of
Morales-Arroyo and Ibuna to forget and let go of the trouble that Iggy left in
their family.
Magsaysay broke down a couple of times requesting the family that her friend
left behind to not only think of themselves, saying: "Iggy was so selfless in
loving all of you that he accepted all of you despite all your faults... I hope
you will accept his wishes despite all his faults."
As this developed, Iggy's colleagues described him as a doting father,
affectionate partner, adorable uncle, loyal friend, good neighbor, loving
grandfather, extraordinary leader, accomplished entrepreneur and a humble man,
during the hour-long necrological services.
Speaker Feliciano "Sonny" Belmonte Jr., who saw Iggy while still a toddler,
declared a quorum after some 106 lawmakers who wore black arm band as an
expression of their sympathy to Arroyo's family, attended the services. The
chamber's Journal Services said it was the first time that such services were
attended by more than 100 congressmen.
The House chief who described his departed colleague as an "accomplished
entrepreneur" praised Arroyo's generosity and humility. "He was humble in all
the times I've seen him," Belmonte told during his eulogy to the late
congressman. "He never faltered to attend to needs of his constituents," he
added.
LINK:
rgma-pinayagan-ng-pasay-rtc-na-makadalo-sa-funeral-mass-para-kay-rep-iggy-arroyo
Heavy security set for Arroyo at Iggy's wake By
Reinir Padua Home Updated February 29, 2012 01:46 PM
MANILA, Philippines - Former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo will be fully guarded but not handcuffed when she goes on
Thursday to the wake of her brother-in-law, Rep. Ignacio Arroyo.
Mrs. Arroyo has been allowed by the court to stay for eight hours at the wake
of the Negros Oriental representative at the Arroyo ancestral house in La Vista
Subdivision.
The furlough will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Pampanga lawmaker is facing electoral sabotage charges before a Pasay
court. She is under hospital arrest at Veterans Memorial Medical Center in
Quezon City.
A source said the former president's visit will be limited to the Arroyo
ancestral house.
"She cannot go out. But she won't be handcuffed," the source, who requested
anonymity, said.
Garrie Concepcion shares grief over death of 'stepfather'
Iggy Arroyo By MAUREEN MARIE BELMONTE March 5, 2012, 11:04am
[PHOTO - Garrie to her mom Grace: 'Be strong']
MANILA, Philippines – With the passing of her Dada, Negros Occidental
representative Iggy Arroyo, last Jan. 26, Garrie Concepcion says that the
overpowering pain that washed through her almost felt like she lost her own
father.
Garrie is the daughter of actor Gabby Concepcion and former star Grace Ibuna,
Iggy's partner of six years.
In a live interview with "The Buzz" on March 4, Garrie tearfully recalled the
beautiful and loving family life that Iggy had enabled them to experience all
these years.
"Gusto 'ko lang pong sabihin sa lahat na very blessed ako to have two
fathers. Siyempre si Papa Gabby and nandyan din po si Dada (Iggy)," she began.
The budding actress said that her mom had never been any happier than when
she was with Iggy. More, she also shared that "he [Iggy] really loved my mom so
much and he loved me and my siblings so much like we were his own children."
"Tito Boy [Abunda], my mom changed everything. 'Yung buong buhay niya changed
because of Dada. 'Yung pagmamahal na binigay nila sa isa't-isa, ang laking
binago ng buhay ni Mommy, ng buhay namin. In a sense na punong-puno ng
pagmamahal," she recalled.
According to her, the love that their family felt also extended to Iggy's
daughters with his first wife—Dina Arroyo-Tantoco and Bianca Arroyo, who have
welcomed them to their family with open arms.
It was the reason losing him broke the heart of everyone in their family.
"It was painful for me to see my mom hurt so bad and also to see my two
siblings, my younger siblings, feel that way. Na this is it, this is so good for
us. We already have a complete family and then he was taken away," she
emotionally shared.
The 'other woman'
Even before Iggy's death, Grace has been the target of accusations and
offending labels by some people, one of which was her being called the "other
woman." Iggy's marriage with his second wife, Aleli Arroyo, is said to have not
been annulled. Speculation also arose that Grace was only after the late
congressman's wealth.
Grace has remained mum over all the allegations, but Garrie won't just sit by
and allow the public to "judge" her mom, taking a swipe at their family's
detractors during the interview.
"Masakit po na marinig 'yung mga ganon pong bagay especially para sa pamilya
'ko. Alam po kasi namin 'yung totoo kaya po kami nasasaktan.
"Ang dami pong taong nagju-judge na sa tingin 'ko po sana po tumigil na kayo
kasi they really loved each other sincerely and I witnessed everything from day
one. They were always there for each other," she stated.
Garrie even attested that her mother's love for the late politician was so
great that she's willing to "give up everything" just to get him back.
"And with regard do'n sa habol ng mommy 'ko pera lang, it's not true," she
refuted.
"Kasi 'yung mommy 'ko na nga 'yung nagsasabi na pwede niyang ibigay lahat. Na
kung gusto niya ibibigay niya na lahat, bumalik lang si Dada. She can give up
everything," Garie stressed.
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
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