Arroyo Arrest: Poll Sabotage is just the beginning; here come the civil cases and plunder raps

There is one (and only one) piece of good news for Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo: she has been authorized to remain under hospital arrest  in her P50,000/day suite at St. Lukes Medical center.  But the rest of the news of the day for the beleagured former President would seem to indicate that things aren’t going to get better for her anytime soon.

For starters, The Philippine Supreme Court dismissed the petitions of Arroyo’s husband Mike Arroyo and Benjamin Abalos which sought a  temporary restraining order against the DOJ and Comelec.  The vote was 10-4.

Next, there is the matter of the plunder case against Arroyo over the scuttled NBN (National Broadband Network) deal, a $329M “fail” for which accountability is sought.  Several complainants have begun pushing the Ombudsman to resolve the case, presumably before it is overwhelmed by the electoral sabotage case.

Then there is the matter of a civil case about to be filed by Harry Roque, who represents the relatives of 13 of the 33 media workers slain in the Ampatuan massacre on November 23, 2009.  He and his clients are seeking to get Arroyo to pay P15M in damages for alleged complicity in the killings.

“We will file a civil case against her for her complicity in the Maguindanao massacre,” Roque said.  “She is responsible for coddling and abetting those behind the killings and for violating the rights of the victims.”  The Ampatuan family, charged with the killings, were close allies of Arroyo when she was in power.

It seems like each day brings new revelations in the unfolding downward spiral of the former President.

Will continue to keep an eye on this.