Congressional stalwarts of the Liberal Party have expressed support for former President, now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s bid for house arrest to end her three years of hospital detention.
Arroyo’s appeal for house arrest came a month after international human rights lawyer Amal Alamudin Clooney called the attention of the United Nations to alleged political motives behind the continued detention of Mrs. Arroyo.
Quezon City Reps. Jose Christopher Belmonte and Alfred Vargas said that considering Mrs. Arroyo’s guarded state of health, she should be given a new environment that can help her recover.
Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas said the House Committee on Justice which he heads will prioritize a proposed House resolution asking the anti-graft court to show compassion to Mrs. Arroyo by granting her house arrest.
Tupas said committee hearing will be immediately conducted for the resolution that has continued to draw strong bipartisan backing.
“There is a resolution pending now with the Committee on Justice to express the sentiment of the House of Representatives on the matter. Based on our initial hearing last month, it seems that a lot of the members of the committee favor the resolution for humanitarian reasons,” Tupas said.
In her motion for house arrest filed before the Sandiganbayan First Division, Arroyo’s lawyers pointed out that the former president’s health has not improved since she was arrested three years ago.
Congressman Vargas cited humanitarian reasons for backing her appeal for house arrest. “She has illness that needs proper medication and attention,” he said.
Manila Bulletin
