The Philippine Online Chronicles

Malacañang said on Saturday that they will back the recommendation of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to allow former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to be detained at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said they are letting the DILG and the Philippine National Police decide on how to secure the Pampanga representative.

Valte said they understand the PNP’s decision that Arroyo’s extended stay in the hospital is the best, security-wise.

The decision came after the Pasay City Regional Trial court invited Arroyo’s doctor in reponse to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) request to transfer Arroyo, who is facing an electoral sabotage case, to a regular detention facility.

The doctor, amid reports of improved health, said the former president still needs to undergo regular physical therapy.

Clarify request

Meanwhile, Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez asked Arroyo to clarify her request to attend the memorial services for her late brother-in-law, Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio Arroyo.

The late Arroyo’s remains are still in London.

“We need the details. Her request is to attend the wake but what if the wake is…I don’t know. In Hong Kong? So does she mean she will have to travel? What is the wake is in Negros?” Jimenez said.

The Comelec spokesperson said Arroyo can’t go to the wake alone.

“Someone must be assigned to her, so the request should be clear. We don’t know the exact dimension of this request of hers for provisional freedom so we want her to clarify it first. Every time she goes out, we incur costs for security, logistics…” he said.

Jimenez also questioned the request saying “If they say ‘I want to attend the wake,’ the next they will say is ‘I want to attend the burial.’”

On the other hand, Valte said it will be up to the court to decide if whether Arroyo should be allow to visit the wake of her brother-in-law.

Valte also said they will not meddle with the attempts of the Arroyo family to repatriate the body, especially with the conflict between the late congressman’s legal wife and his partner.

“We understand from media reports that there seems to be an internal matter within the family and that is something that the DFA will not touch. We will only help facilitate papers and documents,” Valte said.

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes also said that the court will have to decide, amid Jimenez’s initial statement. Brillantes said they may not file an opposition if Arroyo files a motion with the court. He also said that filing for a request would not mean that it will be automatically granted.

On Saturday, Alicia “Aleli” Arroyo, the legal wife of Rep. Iggy Arroyo, returned to the Philippines after failing to bring home her husband’s remains.

Aleli Arroyo’s lawyer Lorna Kapunan said Arroyo’s partner Grace Ibuna wanted to cremate the body in London.

“We were surprised this morning, London time, when we talked with the solicitor of the funeral parlor, that they received latest instructions from their client, so I asked who’s your client because we’re talking with Bianca (daughter) and the funeral parlor said their client is Grace Ibuna and the latest instruction was to cremate Iggy in the UK,” Kapunan said.

Kapunan and her client are questioning Ibuna’s decisions over the matter since she is not the legal wife or the next of kin of the late congressman.