Sandiganbayan issues arrest warrant for Gloria

 MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan has issued a warrant of arrest against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the plunder case stemming from the alleged misuse of P316-million funds from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

Plunder is a non-bailable case. 

However, both the prosecution and Arroyo's defense lawyers agreed to defer the arrest of Arroyo until the court finds probable cause in the plunder case.

This as Sandiganbayan justices manifested that they will take a second look if there is probable cause to charge Arroyo with plunder based on the pieces of evidence that the Office of the Ombudsman has initially presented against the former president.

Meanwhile, the arrest orders for Arroyo's co-accused stand.

In filing the case with the anti-graft court, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales alleged that Arroyo, now Pampanga representative, and her co-accused former PCSO board chairman Sergio Valencia; former board members Manuel Morato, Raymundo Roquero, Jose Taruc V and Ma. Fatima Valdes; former general manager Rosario Uriarte; and former budget and accounts manager Benigno Aguas conspired to enrich themselves by misusing the PCSO funds. (Click here for related story: GMA faces plunder raps over P365-M PCSO funds)

The Bureau of Immigration, meanwhile, revealed that Taruc left the country last July 19 on board a Cathay Pacific flight. It said that Taruc's destination was unknown and there are no records of the ex-PCSO board member reeturning to the Philippines.

Arroyo, who stayed in detention at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City for eight months before being allowed to post a P1-million bail on the poll fraud case in July, is seeking a second term as representative of Pampanga's second district.

Her son, Ang Galing Pinoy Rep. Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo has filed Arroyo's certificate of candidacy at the Commission on Elections' provincial office on Wednesday.

Arroyo has been wearing a neck brace owing to a degenerative bone disease.

Senator Teofisto "TG" Guingona III, meanwhile, urged the Sandiganbayan to issue a hold-departure order against the former president.

"It has been proven in several occasions that Mrs. Arroyo has a penchant to invent reasons to justify her grand plan to leave the country and escape prosecution for her crimes," Guingona said.

Guingona, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, led the investigation of the alleged misuse of the PCSO's intelligence funds in 2011. The committee submitted its report to the Office of the Ombudsman in December 2011, recommending the filing of charges against Mrs. Arroyo and the others.

"I am hoping that the truth will come out and the justice be served immediately. In order for the Filipinos to move forward, it is only fitting that we correct the mistakes of the past," the senator said. with reports from Michael Punongbayan