Mayor asks SC: Stop GMA trial on plunder

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Guagua Mayor Ric Rivera has asked the Supreme Court (SC) last Wednesday to stop the trial of former President and Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

In a supplemental petition, Rivera and 39 other petitioners from the second district asked the SC to “immediately issue a temporary restraining order or a writ of preliminary injunction enjoining the respondent Ombudsman from prosecuting the case, and the respondent Sandiganbayan from proceeding with the case and from continuing with the arrest and detention of Macapaga-Arroyo.”

Rivera and the petitioners claimed that Arroyo’s constituents “have been deprived of representation by their duly-elected representative,” what with her incarceration for a non-bailable charge.

“Herein intervenors, as bonafide residents and registered voters of the second district of Pampanga where petitioner Arroyo is currently serving as incumbent representative to the House of Representatives, re-plead the grounds stated in the petition for intervention filed before this honorable court by Ocampo, Ponio, Valencia, and Manalac,” the residents said.

Constituents Rico Ocampo, Eugene Paul Ponio, Marcelo Valencia and Joaquin Mañalac filed the first petition for intervention supportive of Arroyo’s legal cause, citing Section 1, Rule 19 of the Rules of Civil Procedure as having given them the right to intervene in the pending case, saying that since they are being denied the right to be represented in Congress due to the detention of Arroyo, they, therefore, have a legal interest in the legal issue.

The latest petition was signed by Rivera, Anthony Torres, Roy Sunglao, Rodolfo Ocampo, Joel Pascual, Rey Cayanan, Ruben Manlutac, Hector David, Ernesto Enriquez, Ruperto Tanjoco, Santos, Serrano, Homer Garcia, Dante Gozo, Angelo Layug, Victor Gaviola, Antonio Ladao, Helen Tantengco, Ma. Victoria Soriano, Jessie Cardona, Alfonso Ocampo, Jesus Sunga, Maricel Sunglao, Fe Sunglao, Amylyn Sunglao, Bernadette Sunglao, Joel Pascua, Remy Ria Pascua, Gino Ocampo, Danilo Alfonso, Evelino Parico, Heriberto Alfonso, Dante Sarmiento, Florinda Dasig, Eneline Vitug, Paterno Ocampo, Russel Sahagun, Jingerly Calma, Orlando Navarro, Sharon Baldovino and Mark Owen Guiao.

Arroyo, who is facing a plunder case in connection with the alleged misuse of the P366-million funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office during her term as chief executive, has decried the charge as both baseless and politically motivated.