CITY OF SAN FERNANO – The Pampanga Mayors’ League
was saddened over the defiance of Justice Secretary
Leila de Lima on temporary restraining order (TRO) on the watch list order
(WLO) issued by the Supreme Court in favor of former President and now Pampanga Congresswoman
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo, PML president, said the former
president is willing to comply with all the conditions set by the higher court before
she could be allowed to go abroad for medical treatment.
Pelayo added that the Department of Justice is mandated
to implement the law involving the right to travel of the former president as
the Supreme Court has already spoken and settled the issue.
He also stressed that De Lima is engaging into public
mind conditioning and even resorting into trial by publicity. He claimed that
GMA cannot be prevented from going abroad as no single case against her is
already in any court.
The Supreme Court order allowed Arroyo to seek
medical treatment abroad. However, the SC imposed three conditions for the
former First Couple to avail themselves of the TRO, according to SC Spokesman
and Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez.
First, they have to post a cash bond of P2 million.
Second, they should appoint their lawyers to
receive in their behalf all the processes or subpoenas that may be issued by
the DOJ in the poll fraud cases or the Office of the Ombudsman in the plunder
complaints involving Mrs. Arroyo.
Third, they should report to the Philippine
consular offices or embassies in the countries they would be travelling.
De Lima yesterday received a copy of the temporary restraining
order stopping the department from implementing its travel ban against former
president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
However,
she said, she will be consulting with the Office of the Solicitor
General on the filing of motion for reconsideration.
In the mean time, she maintained that her order
banning the Arroyos from leaving the country stays.