Gloria “Rumamona” Arroyo’s Right to Travel or was it a foiled Houdini Great Escape?

If there is anything that is so pronounced in the characters that hugs the headlines in the Philippines, it is none other than their vicious callousness to be at the center of attention even to the point of ridiculousness. As if the pity pics and the wheelchair bound Gloria "Rumamona" Arroyo arriving at NAIA in an ambulance does not give us an overdose of Zarzuela we see more characters joining the fray. How else will you explain the disgusting reference to cutting of the balls of Arroyo’s lawyer or a senator’s (Miriam Santiago) mental disorder of having an urge to slit her throat and wrist because they feel that the victimizer has now been victimized is just insane.

Why can’t these people think of something “enlightening” other than their balls and committing suicide to make a point? If they insist on this silly ball that some suspect is missing I suggest that we bring this a notch higher by asking the 8 justices who issued the TRO to Gloria that should she not come back, said ball should be fed to them as undercooked soup ingredient for their pink slip party. I am sure if that was part of the precondition to issue the TRO the 8 named justices below will probably think twice:

Chief Justice Renato Corona, Justices Presbitero Velasco Jr., Arturo Brion, Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Roberto Abad, Martin Villarama, and Jose Perez.

Of course we need to be entertained with La Senadora Miriam Santiago’s antique errr antics or this lame attempt to gain sympathy starting with pity pics culminating in the foiled great escape that gives us more ammo for mocking. Do people really care if Miriam Santiago slit her throat and wrist? Well, if the famous slogan of just do it will do I say yes do it and let us see if people will really care. Do the majority of the people really care about Arroyo’s right to travel when they cannot even figure out where to find the money for their next meal, what more for a plane fare and around the world at that?

Is Gloria “Rumamona” Arroyo really seeking medical treatment abroad as Randy David asked how serious is Arroyo’s medical condition in his column? If it was indeed about her very delicate condition as shown in her pity pics why should she opt to travel around the globe that included mostly countries where the Philippines has no extradition treaty? Love the drama that unfolds that makes reality TV shows look like a nursery playground squabble as seen in this SINATorial reaction:

Opposition Senator Joker Arroyo, for his part, said the issue of the ex-President’s medical condition and right to travel was “merely incidental when compared to the executive branch’s move to emasculate and damage the Supreme Court, as it insidiously asserts its supremacy over the Supreme Court.”

“The trend would transmogrify into an autocracy, with the President a virtual dictator, with a supplicant Congress and an inutile Supreme Court. That would make our Constitution a paper Constitution,” Senator Arroyo told the Inquirer, recalling that Malacañang earlier tried to impound a significant portion of the Supreme Court’s 2012 budget and those of other constitutional agencies.

“The public, fully trusting P-Noy (President Aquino), has its guard down. They do not see the undercurrents of the creeping authoritarian bent of the current administration. They are consumed by the high drama involving the image of a sick and forlorn GMA (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) being barred from leaving,” the senator added.

“The stakes are high in what appears to be another one of the predictable confrontations between PNoy and GMA. Let us not be misled. The real aim is to upend the structural balance between the executive, legislative and judicial branches provided for in the Constitution to ensure executive dictation, legislative abdication and judicial submission.”

Wait a minute here, emasculating the SIPSIPreme Court? Well if it was emasculation that they are concerned with the SIPSIPreme Court has long been destroyed and has lost its credibility and legitimacy ever since Gloria “Rumamona” Arroyo acting like a thief in the night in her midnight appointment of Renato Corona as the Chief Justice past the deadline which is clearly illegal and unconstitutional. As if that is not bad enough the dishonorable injustices acted like a Mafiosi protecting its own validated the illegal appointment forcing the people to obey their ruling as it has effectively became part of the law of the land. Now, when will the madness stop and when will they stop ruling in favor of legalizing an obvious criminal act and the senator named Joker whines of emasculation? Now with this kind of logic we see from our distinguishable like the Joker and the Chizzy one Escudero claiming Leila De Lima is bringing the country into the brink of constitutional crisis is nothing but a Teopacio impotence cutting off his balls talk.

Senator Koko Pimentel has some valid points that the SC justices may have missed or ignored in issuing a TRO without even touching on the constitutionality of the DoJ MC 41:

“I think it would have been prudent if the SC had first called for a factual investigation on the true medical conditions of the former President before issuing a TRO that would allow her to seek medical treatment abroad,” said Pimentel.

“This because in opposing the TRO petition, I believe that the DOJ cited a factual finding of Health Secretary Enrique Ona that the condition of Mrs. Arroyo is not life-threatening so there is no pressing need for her to travel for treatment,” he added.

Pimentel also noted the assertion made by the Philippine Medical Association that there are so many Filipino medical specialists and hospitals in the Philippines that can treat the bone disease being cited by the former President in wanting to travel abroad.

Hold Departure Order and the Immigration watch list has been with us since Martial Law and funny thing is instead of declaring it unconstitutional strengthened it by issuing MC 41 courtesy of Arroyo’s DoJ secretary Agra. Randy David says it best below:

Many Filipinos and foreigners have been prevented from leaving the country on the strength of this circular. No one questioned its constitutionality—until now. It is no small irony that the one who is questioning it is none other than the former president herself during whose term it was conceived and enforced. If this does not speak volumes about the privileged class’ attitude toward the law, we don’t know what does.

Apparently the haste in the SC decision was not intended to settle the constitutionality issue of MC 41 that was Arroyo’s undoing but a very obvious show of gratitude to their patroness. Since the SIPSIPreme Court did not tackle the constitutionality of MC 41 but just on the specific DoJ order on Arroyo they should have heard the oral arguments first and determined if indeed Gloria is ill needing further specialized medical attention that can only be done abroad. The way they have conducted themselves lately and in the recent past like a gang of Mafiosi capo in validating the CJ unconstitutional appointment will make it extremely difficult for them to fish out their credibility out of the toilet bowl of Arroyo’s dirty politics. In short as Cheryl L. Daytec puts it, the SIPSIPreme Court decision is nothing but a political decision that needs an equal political response.

They whine and have a tantrum as if this new Arroyo tele-novela really is all about justice and yet no one seems to notice why she made airline reservations before the decision came shows foreknowledge, as observed by Daphne Ceniza. Was she privy or have inside information on the decision and if it was proven that the decision was leaked in advance her being their patroness who then will cite those at the SC for contempt?

If that was not the case perhaps Leila Rispens-Noel is right in her suspicion which I quote:

For all we know the drama in Manila with pathetic looking GMA being refused by Immigration officers to board her plane is the kind of public sympathy they were trying to get and they succeeded! GMA 9 years of plunder and corruption forgotten; erased, erased na... sige sick Gloria mag abroad ka na. Suddenly si De Lima ang bad girl... hay naku na lang....

Neal Cruz makes a lot of sense when he says Leila De Lima was just using her common sense over this failed tear jerker tele-novela, to quote:

As I see it, Secretary De Lima is only using her common sense. Already, the justice secretary suspects that GMA may seek political asylum in some other country and not come back to face the very serious charges against her, why should she be allowed to leave the Philippines? Who would be blamed if De Lima allowed the former president to leave and GMA leaves for good? Coming in the wake of the escape of Ramona Bautista, a suspect in the murder of her own brother, letting GMA leave now would be the height of stupidity. As De Lima said in her decision, “we would be the laughingstock of the world.”

But lawyers will always be lawyers and will try to make black look white, and white look black by invoking legal technicalities. Put two lawyers together and they would never be able to agree on any issue. Sure the Constitution guarantees a person’s right to travel, but all rights have their limits, as when they collide with the rights of others. Freedom of the press is limited by the law on libel, freedom of speech is limited by the law on slander, the freedom of workers to strike is limited by other labor laws, the freedom to gather and seek redress for grievances is limited by many other laws.

Think about it, if these empty noise and braggadocio is really about justice and human rights, of all people why use Gloria Arroyo as their poster girl really escapes me but I think supporters of Arroyo legit or paid must answer this question from Neal Cruz:

Why should a person’s right to travel be more important than a whole nation’s right to justice?

The TRO that some numb nuts wants us to obey is really nothing but the SC justices way of paying their debt of gratitude and special accommodation to their patroness as shown by Marites Danguilan Vitug's FB post:

The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, extended the office hours of its cashier to 6pm to receive the P2M cash bond of GMA. This seems very unusual. When Gemma Mendoza, our writer, was arrested (in relation to a libel case filed by Chavit Singson) at about 3pm on a weekday, we rushed to the Pasig court to post bail, on her behalf. The cashier's office closed even before 5pm! Then we had to look for a night court--and arrived in Quezon City hall of justice about 7pm. Guess what? The night court closed at 6pm! Well, Gemma ain't GMA.

Seriously Madam butterfly errr Gloria, do you really expect us to believe you are that sick when you are even wearing high heels in that wheelchair bound pity pic of yours? Here's an unsolicited advise to the allies of Arroyo deluding themselves about impeachment, if the pity sick in the head errr neck Arroyo who was very unpopular could not be impeached during her stolen term, how do you think you will succeed now?

Subscribe in a reader Click on the images to receive your free email updatesPOGB will not sell, exchange, use or allow any 3rd party access to your email for
any other purposes without exception, email exclusively for article updates only.Follow PJ @ Facebook, NetworkedBlogs, & Twitter

Satire Filipinos Filipino-Americans Philippine Politics