De Lima on TRO: Dissenting justices were right

The Supreme Court justices who dissented on issuing the temporary restraining order (TRO) against the implementation of the watchlist orders placed on the Arroyo couple had the “right" opinion— from the perspective of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. “Nabasa ko ang dissenting opinion nila Carpio, Sereno... Maganda ang opinion nila. Sa tingin ko, iyon ang tama," De Lima shared with reporters on Tuesday, when she was asked to react on the high court’s order for her to explain why she should not be cited in contempt for defying the TRO. By an 8-7 vote, the court issued the TRO that basically gave the go signal for Mrs. Arroyo to leave the country and seek medical treatment for her bone mineral disorder. Those who dissented were SC Associated Justices Antonio Carpio, Jose Mendoza, Lourdes Sereno, Bienvenido Reyes, and Estela Bernabe. De Lima said she felt “vindicated" when she read Sereno’s dissenting opinion about the “majority having an understanding that the TRO was suspended pending compliance" with the conditions set by the court. De Lima insisted there was “no malice and bad faith on my part" when the DOJ refused to immediately comply with the TRO. Instead of heeding the TRO, the DOJ still stopped the Arroyo couple from leaving the airport and kept her from going to Singapore for a medical appointment. “There was no defiance," she insisted. “Ang defiance, ayaw mo lang sumunod, walang karason-rason." In the DOJ’s case, De Lima maintained that they did not receive a copy of the TRO on the day it was issued. Also, de Lima insisted the government should first be allowed to file a motion for reconsideration before being ordered to comply. — MRT/ELR/KG, GMA News