Cops tighten security at SC over Arroyo travel row

Police tightened security at the Supreme Court premises in Manila Thursday in anticipation of rallies over the issue of whether to allow former President Gloria Arroyo to go abroad for medical treatment. Manila Police District spokesman Chief Inspector Erwin Margarejo said anti-riot police have been deployed to the area, radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported. The report quoted Margarejo as saying the Civil Disturbance Management Unit will exercise maximum tolerance. He cited reports indicating the Supreme Court may decide as early as Thursday on the petition lodged by the Arroyo camp questioning the former leader's inclusion in the Department of Justice's watch list order. Because of this, he said they are not discounting the possibility of supporters of both the Arroyo camp and the Aquino administration "arguing" their case near the high court premises. Arroyo had also asked the government to allow her to leave for abroad to seek treatment for her back and spine problems. But on Tuesday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima denied the request, saying she was not convinced there was an urgent reason to allow Arroyo to go abroad. On Wednesday, President Benigno Aquino III supported De Lima’s stance, even as Malacañang offered to help find a doctor for Arroyo. Let Arroyo go abroad On Wednesday, some Catholic bishops urged the government to let Arroyo, now Pampanga representative, to go abroad and seek medical treatment. Retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz warned of possible “chaos" if anything untoward happens to Arroyo, even as he said her present condition is “already her punishment." “(The government) should let her go because if something happened to her, all hell will break loose. Even if she flees, her sickness is already her punishment. It’s justice enough," he said, according to an article posted late Wednesday on the Union of Catholic Asian News website. Another bishop, Leonardo Medroso of Tagbilaran, agreed that Arroyo should be allowed to go abroad to seek medical treatment. “Everybody as a right to health [care]. If something bad happened to the former president it will boomerang on the present administration," he said. Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo, head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ National Secretariat for Social Action, urged the Supreme Court to study the issue carefully and rule accordingly. — LBG, GMA News