Palace will abide by SC decision on watch list order vs Mike Arroyo

Malacañang on Thursday said it will abide by the Supreme Court decision stopping the enforcement of the Department of Justice’s watch list order against former First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo. At a press briefing, Ricky Carandang, head of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO), said the government has little choice but to comply with the high court’s decision. "The court has spoken. We will comply with whatever the court says. They are the final arbiter of what is legal and so therefore we have little choice but to comply," he said. Carandang made the statement after being informed that Justice Secretary Leila de Lima had ordered the removal of Mr. Arroyo's name from the watch list. De Lima, however, said the removal has nothing to do with the SC decision but because the Senate blue ribbon committee had informed her that it is no longer inclined to invite Mr. Arroyo to its inquiry on Philippine National Police’s purchase of helicopters in 2009. Committee chairman Sen. Teofisto Guingona III cited the former First Gentleman’s heart problem as the reason for their decision. De Lima said the DOJ, through the Office of the Solicitor General, will file a comment with the high court to manifest that she has already withdrawn the watch list order against Mr. Arroyo. She, however, said it is up to the SC to determine if the matter is already moot or if it will still rule on the merits of Mr. Arroyo's petition questioning the validity of the watch list order against him and the DOJ circular that empowers the Justice secretary to issue such orders. Mr. Arroyo had asked the SC to void the watch list order and DOJ Department Circular No. 41 because these supposedly violated his constitutional right to travel, to due process, and to equal protection. Asked if De Lima should be more prudent in including people on its watch list, Carandang said everyone is bound to comply with the SC. "I think we are all bound to comply with the law and that is what we are going to do. If the SC says that we have to do it this way, we will do it this way," he said. — Amita O. Legaspi/KBK, GMA News