“Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been accorded such due process and has availed herself of various legal remedies under Philippine laws”, Coloma said in a press statement.
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During this period, the Philippine government has failed to protect, respect and fulfill her rights under global human rights law, including the worldwide Convention on Civil and Political Rights, the brief said.
Coloma said, however, that the government had taken note of the WGAD opinion.
Arroyo’s case is being heard by Philippine courts, independent bodies that have the “sole jurisdiction” to decide on the detention of accused like her, Coloma said. “The Philippine government, or any worldwide body for that matter, can not interfere nor influence the course of an independent judicial proceeding”, he added. Clooney was responsible in calling worldwide attention on the plight of Arroyo by filing a complaint against President Aquino and the Philippine government before the UN.
“It is sad that this administration has once again shown that it is inept both in the field of human rights and criminal prosecution that resulted in the United Nations siding with [former President Gloria Arroyo]”.
Her lawyers said the Philippine court failed to rule on Arroyo’s bail for over a year, even though global human rights law requires courts to do so within hours or days of arrest. She has been detained since 2012 for plunder charges arising from alleged misuse of P366 million in Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office intelligence funds for personal gain from 2008 to 2010. “The United Nations endorsed all of our arguments and concluded that President Arroyo’s detention violates worldwide law”, Clooney said.
“They should understand what’s in our Constitution and our rules of court”, De Lima said.
“We have our laws here”.
Many lawyers, including critics of Arroyo, chided De Lima for her actions as they pointed out later that Arroyo was released on bail for the charge of violation of election laws which was the Justice secretary’s basis for preventing Arroyo to seek medical help overseas.
Throughout her detention, Arroyo has also been barred from accessing any means of communication, including Internet access, a mobile phone or a laptop computer, which “preclude her from performing her role as a democratically elected representative” of a district of Pampanga.
Arroyo, who is reportedly suffering degenerative diseases of the bones and cartilage of the neck, is presently in hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC).
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Atty. Raul Lambino, senior deputy secretary general of Lakas-CMD, Arroyo’s political party, said on Thursday (October 8) that the latter’s certificate of candidacy (COC) is now being prepared.
