GMA’s FB supporters hold prayer vigil at VMMC

MANILA, Philippines - Some 50 Facebook supporters of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo held a prayer vigil on Friday night outside the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City to call on the Sandiganbayan to grant her bail plea in connection with her plunder case.

Ton Davila, one of the supporters of Arroyo’s Facebook page, said he decided to go to VMMC to express their support for the lawmaker and call on the Sandiganbayan to grant her bail so she can be with her family to ensure her recovery from her illness, a degenerative bone disease afflicting her spine.

“We pity President Gloria and we believe she did not commit any crime that is why we are appealing to the justices of the Sandiganbayan to grant her bail, especially at this time when she needs her family because of her illness,” Davila said in Filipino.

Davila said “friends” of the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Facebook page had agreed to hold the prayer vigil and candle-lighting so their voice could also be heard in the growing support she has been receiving the past few months.

“We agreed last week to come here and hold a prayer vigil. We chose Friday because it is the day when many of us could make it here,” he said.

Political leaders and religious leaders, including former Presidents Fidel Ramos and Joseph Estrada, former Vice President Noli de Castro, Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz, evangelist Eddie Villanueva and the family of the late Vice President Doy Laurel, have been seen visiting Arroyo at the VMMC and expressing their sympathy and support.

Davila said many of the participants came from provinces as far as Mindoro Oriental, Quezon, Batangas, Laguna, Cavite and Bulacan just to attend the vigil, which started at 6 p.m. and ended at 9 p.m.

He said Arroyo did not know her supporters were going to stage the vigil.

Davila said many other supporters of Arroyo’s Facebook page, which has more than 5,000 followers, wanted to attend the vigil but could not make it because of time and financial constraints.

“But there are many of us. Much more are not on Facebook and we are ready to show our support to the former President. This is just the beginning,” he said.