Mikey Arroyo, wife want Nov. 9 QC court arraignment deferred

Ang Galing Pinoy Partylist Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey" Arroyo and his wife, Angela, want a Quezon City court to defer their Nov. 9 arraignment pending resolution of the motion for reconsideration they filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ). In an omnibus motion filed before the sala of QC Regional Trial Branch 100 Presiding Judge Marie Christine Jacob, Congressman Arroyo through his legal counsel, Ruy Rondain also asked the court to allow him to travel to the US from Nov. 14 to Dec. 7, 2011 on semi-official business. The couple cited in their motion Section 11 (c) Rule 116 of the Rules of Court, which states that an arraignment is suspended when the prosecutor's resolution is pending. The court should allow the case to take its natural course and allow the exhaustion of all relief, if only to save itself and the parties from what could eventually turn out to be unnecessary effort and expense, the Arroyos added. In their Oct. 14 motion for reconsideration filed in with the DOJ, the couple asked the department to reverse its Sept. 16 resolution recommending the filing of tax evasion cases against them. The accused claimed that the DOJ panel erred when it sustained the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) argument that no prior assessment is necessary before the criminal case may be filed. Not a flight risk “There is a need for the court to reverse. There is nothing that “feels right" about this case. The Supreme Court has already cautioned about creating misimpression about political motivations in the public minds," the couple noted in their motion. In seeking permission to travel abroad, Rep. Arroyo argued he should be allowed to travel since he is not a flight risk and there is no hold departure order against him. “Juan Miguel already posted bail and that he also already foregone a holiday originally scheduled mid-October with his wife and two kids to avoid giving impression that they intend to flee the jurisdiction. Only Juan Miguel will travel, obviously he will not abandon them (his family)," the solon said in the same motion. Arroyo is scheduled to meet with members of the Filipino community in Southern California and solicit donations of medicines for his constituents. The solon was charged with three counts of violation of Section 255 of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) for allegedly failing to file income tax returns in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Angela was charged with seven counts of violation of the same law for her alleged failure to file income tax return for taxable years 2003 to 2009. For their provisional liberty, the Arroyos posted a P200,000 bail — (P60,000 for the congressman and P140,000 for his wife. — VS, GMA News