Wife just wants Iggy laid to rest

MANILA, Philippines -  The wife of the late Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio “Iggy” Arroyo lamented that she only wants peace and to lay her husband to rest after she failed to bring home his remains from London.

“We are asking for peace, asking for time to lay to rest (Iggy’s remains). Tama na (that’s enough),” said the congressman’s estranged wife Alicia “Aleli” Morales-Arroyo when she and her lawyer Lorna Kapunan arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) last Saturday night from London.

Kapunan said they were returning to the country without his body because Iggy’s companion Grace Ibuna interceded.

“Para sa akin palagay ko ay ginawa ko na lahat (I think I did everything possible), as a mother and as a wife, so bahala na lang ang diyos, at kung pwede, ipagdasal na lamang ninyo ang asawa ko (let’s leave it to God and if possible just pray for my husband),” she added.

Iggy died at the age of 60 last Jan. 26 of heart attack in a hospital in London where he had been an outpatient since October undergoing treatment for cirrhosis of the liver.

Aleli said the family wants a healing process but somebody prevented it.

She said they would just continue praying and let the lawyers handle the issue in court.

“This is not the time to discuss it, she said.

Aleli said she would also seek the help of Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. regarding the matter.

She thanked officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine embassy in London for their assistance and hoped that they “continue to support us in efforts to take home the remains of Iggy.”

“It is very shocking news for us when we heard that Ms. Grace Ibuna, the common law wife of Congressman Arroyo, allegedly hired a lawyer to press charges against the funeral parlor (and also including) the Philippine embassy officials in UK,” said Kapunan.

Kapunan said Ibuna raised many objections and even cited Iggy’s eldest daughter Bianca as the reason.

The officials of the funeral parlor in London have admitted that their original client is Ibuna.

Kapunan said when they were ready to fly out the remains, the Philippine embassy officials suddenly told them that the lawyer of the funeral parlor informed them that the latest instruction is to cremate the body of Rep. Arroyo in the UK per instruction of Ibuna.

Kapunan said it was a weekend so the funeral parlor and the courts were closed.

She said they would pursue the case and continue with the legal remedies.

Kapunan had been coordinating with Bianca, Iggy’s eldest daughter with first wife Marilyn Jacinto, regarding the repatriation and airlifting of his remains.

According to Kapunan, the lawyer of the funeral parlor should have exercised due diligence by investigating or asking to be provided with court records on the alleged annulment of the marriage.

“The best evidence is a court record on annulment. Have they asked a copy of the court order (declaring) the annulment of their marriage? What if three (wives) went there claiming to be the next of kin, what will they do? Will they believe all of them?” Kapunan said.

House cannot intervene

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the House of Representatives cannot meddle in the fight for the remains of Rep. Arroyo.

“We should not get involved in that,” he said.

He said the House could only make an appeal to all parties to settle their differences as soon as possible “so that we can extend the necessary respect we could give during necrological rites at the House.”

Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II hopes that the controversy would subside so that the necessary honor as a member of the House of Representatives is accorded to Iggy before he is laid to rest.

Catholic bishops expressed no opposition to the request of the camp of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to attend the wake of her late brother-in-law Iggy.

Malolos Bishop Jose Oliveros said the government should allow the former president to pay her last respects to her brother-in-law for humanitarian reasons.

Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles and Caloocan bishop Deogracias Iniguez said Arroyo should be allowed to go to the wake as she has not yet been convicted of any crime.

“If your brother-in-law dies, will you not visit him? I know many sentenced inmates who were allowed to visit the wake of their relatives. Of course they are not high profile prisoners. But is Rep. Arroyo already a sentenced prisoner?” Arguelles said.

Arroyo is currently detained at Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) pending trial on charges of electoral sabotage filed against her and two other co-accused.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) urged over the weekend the camp of Arroyo to clarify which of the memorial services for Iggy she intends to attend.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said such a clarification was necessary for the government to prepare the logistical and security requirements. With Jess Diaz, Helen Flores