Saguisag told: ‘Recheck’ timeline on Arroyo TRO

I CONTEST former Sen. Rene Saguisag’s claim that Justice Secretary Leila de Lima never defied the Supreme Court order allowing former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to leave the country, as the Supreme Court itself ruled that Arroyo failed to comply with one of the order’s conditions (“‘Vagrant’ charge against De Lima,” Inquirer 7/20/12).

This claim is glaringly inconsistent with the timeline. On Nov. 16, 2011, after the order (and its immediate effect) was announced on TV, Secretary De Lima stated that she had not yet received a copy. She intended to unilaterally set aside the order and was quoted by the Inquirer: “The TRO is being stayed or deferred until the resolution of [our] motion for reconsideration” (“Government stops Arroyo flight,” Inquirer, 11/16/11). She publicly ordered the Bureau of Immigration, Philippine National Police and National Bureau of Investigation to stop Arroyo should she attempt to leave on one of the multiple flights she booked.

The Supreme Court resolution Saguisag cites was issued only on Nov. 22, 2011. Before then, De Lima consistently argued that she was unilaterally not enforcing the order until the resolution of her motion for reconsideration that was filed on Nov. 17, 2011. Lawyers, nonlawyers and children alike understood that she was defying the Supreme Court.

Public opinion was clearly with De Lima, legal basis aside. Nevertheless, the concerns regarding rule of law having been raised, this defiance must be addressed. Why was De Lima, for example, different from St. Theresa’s College in Cebu, which defied a court order to allow five students to attend their graduation despite their bikini photos having been uploaded on Facebook?

Senator Saguisag remains a rare public servant legendary for his honesty. I request that this great man recheck his calendar.

—OSCAR FRANKLIN TAN,

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