The Philippine Online Chronicles

Deputy minority leader Danilo Suarez said on Monday that the minority bloc is considering asking the House of Representatives for “protective custody” of embattled former president and Pampanga representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Suarez pointed out that protective custody was granted to the “Batasan 5” lawmakers led by then Bayan Muna representative Satur Ocampo back in 2006.

The lawmakers — including Teodoro Casiño and Joel Virador of Bayan Muna, Liza Maza of Gabriela and Rafael Mariano of Anakpawis — were placed under the protective custody of the chamber after being charged with plotting to overthrow the Arroyo administration. The Inquirer reports that this protected them from warrantless arrest

“If the House was able to give protective custody to Ka Satur then, I don’t see why it couldn’t give the same privilege to the former president now,” said Suarez.

According to Casiño however, the situation of the Batasan 5 “does not apply to [Arroyo] because unlike us at that time, she is not under threat of warrantless arrest and illegal detention.”

“In contrast, putting GMA in House custody will only make the House one big prison complex. We reiterate that there should be no special treatment for GMA,” said Casiño.

SC to discuss GMA petitions

The Supreme Court is set to meet today to take up a petition calling for the junking of the joint Department of Justice (DOJ)-Commission on Elections (Comelec) investigation into Arroyo's alleged involvement in poll fraud, and another petition questioning the placing of Arroyo under a travel watch list order.

In a 27-page supplemental petition, Arroyo's camp says that the joint investigation was launched with "undue and unbelievable haste.”

“As it stands, the creation of the joint committee was for the singular purpose of railroading the proceedings in the persecution of the petitioner and in flagrant violation of her right to due process and equal protection of the laws," the petition said.

Arroyo, who was served an arrest warrant issued by the Pasay Regional Trial Court last Friday, is currently detained in St. Luke's Hospital.