Hustisya sa kaso ni Arroyo mananaig din—ALAM

Mga prosecutor ni CGMA mahihina
MAHIHINA at kulang ang kakayahang maghanap ng ebidensiya ang natalagang prosecutors sa kasong electoral sabotage ni Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, ito ang pahayag ng grupong Alab ng Mamamahayag (ALAM).

Ayon kay ALAM President Berteni Causing, pinayagan ng korte na makapagpiyansa si Arroyo dahil kulang at mahina ang mga ebidensiyang iprinisinta ng mga prosecutors laban sa kanya.

Gayunman, naniniwala si Causing na mananaig din ang katarungan kahit medyo matagal.

“The long arm of the law will catch her,” ani Causing. “Iyan ang paniniwala ng ALAM. Kahit pa medyo magtagal, makakamit din natin ang hustisya.”

Ayon naman kay ALAM Chairman Jerry Yap, dahil sa pagpipiyansa ni Arroyo, nalalayo ang pansin ng tao sa mga seryosong problemang kinakaharap ngayon ng ordinaryong mamamayan.

Ani Yap, yumanig sa mga misis ang iskandalosong kakulangan ng LPG, at pagtaas ng presyo ng petrolyo, singil sa tubig at kuryente.

Aniya, matapos magpabola sa mabulaklak na speech ni PNoy sa State of the Nation Address (SONA) ni President Benigno Simeon Aquino III noong Lunes, nalanta na agad ang mga bulaklak.

Senti-sentimo lamang umano kung bumaba ng presyo ng petrolyo ngunit kapag nagtaas ito ay mahigit piso.

Matatandaang tatlong ulit nang nagtaas ng presyo ang mga produktong petrolyo.

Ang huling pataas ay PhP 1.80 sa gasolina, PhP 1 sa diesel at PhP 1.35 sa kerosene, isang araw lamang matapos ng SONA.

Nagkakaubusan din ng liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sa merkado na sinasamantala naman ng mga retailers.

Kahit umano sa Manila Electric Co. (MERALCO) bill, umalma ang halos lahat ng kabahayan matapos halos madoble ang binabayaran nilang electric bill ngayong buwang ito.

Hindi pa kasali rito ang dagdag-singil ng Maynilad at Manila Water sa tubig.

Congressman Lagman bares Arroyo-led plot to oust him as opposition leader

ANDREO C. CALONZO, GMA News

In an unexpected turn of events, House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman is now accusing his long-time ally, former President and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, of plotting to oust him as opposition leader at the House of Representatives.

In a statement, Lagman said Mrs. Arroyo met with opposition members led by Deputy Minority Leader Danilo Suarez in her hospital suite at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) last Wednesday to discuss the supposed ouster plot.

Lagman said Mrs. Arroyo, who is facing electoral sabotage charges, asked opposition members to withdraw their support for Lagman by “not honoring” a resolution they earlier signed seeking to retain him in his post.

“GMA (Mrs. Arroyo’s initials) and her group are trying to convince the Lagman supporters not to honor their signatures,” Lagman said.

Lagman, who currently chairs the Lakas-Kampi-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) party, also said he is “not a GMA stooge” and “does not succumb to her bidding.”

Term-sharing agreement

Lagman and Suarez agreed to share the term as House minority leader two years ago. Suarez is supposed to take over the opposition leadership when sessions resume on Jan. 16.

Lagman, however, said that the term-sharing agreement would have only taken effect if the Arroyo-aligned lawmakers managed to get the House leadership, which was won by incumbent House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.

Suarez, for his part, said his agreement with Lagman was “clear” and that “he is not backing out” from the deal.

“This leadership issue has long been resolved… Ewan ko nga kung bakit nagba-back out si Edcel,” he said in a phone interview.

He admitted meeting with Mrs. Arroyo on Wednesday night, but belied Lagman’s claim that they were plotting to oust him. “The former President has nothing to do with this. We had a clear agreement, and he should honor that.”

The minority bloc at the House of Representatives currently has 29 members. – KBK, GMA News

SC stops implementation of watch list order vs Arroyos

The Supreme Court on Tuesday temporarily stopped the implementation of the watch list orders against former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband, Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo.

Court sources said eight justices voted in favor of the temporary restraining order, including Chief Justice Renato Corona, Jose Perez, Diosdado Peralta, Presbitero Velasco, Roberto Abad, and Arturo Brion.

Those with dissenting opinion were Antonio Carpio, Jose Mendoza, Lourdes Sereno, Bienvenido Reyes, and Estela Bernabe, the sources said.

Two magistrates — Mariano del Castillo and Teresita de Castro — were on leave.

A press briefing is scheduled at 2 p.m.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) placed the Arroyo couple on the Immigration watch list in connection with the charges filed against them.

Mrs. Arroyo is facing plunder and electoral sabotage charges while Mr. Arroyo is also facing electoral sabotage charges.

The DOJ earlier denied Mrs. Arroyo’s request to seek treatment abroad for her bone disorder.

A person on the Immigration watch list must seek permission first from the government before he or she could leave the country. – Mark D. Merueñas/KBK, GMA News