A case where justice will never be served

Credit to Author: ROLLY G. REYES| Date: Wed, 02 Jan 2019 18:25:14 +0000

ROLLY G. REYES

Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo:
“I am happy that I have been finally acquitted of the charges that were filed before the Pasay RTC. It marks the end of a case filed solely for political persecution to put me behind bars. As ruled by the Court itself, ‘not one, however, was able to establish any element of conspiracy with respect to Arroyo. Not one of them mentioned Arroyo, and no one produced any document directly or even indirectly connecting Arroyo to the crime charged.’

It is my fervent hope that no other person be made to suffer the same condition in the name of political persecution. As I have earlier said, let me be the last one. In the end, indeed, the truth prevails.”

The pain inflicted on her boggles my mind. Detained for almost five years, her sufferings that she endured are enough to drive one crazy.

With her rare disease, she submitted herself to three major operations. And when these failed, she wanted to seek the proper medical procedure somewhere else and the Supreme Court agreed by issuing a temporary restraining order, but it was blatantly ignored.

She was denied the right to travel and the right to live. They really wanted her to suffer greatly after she decided to return that huge hacienda in Tarlac to its rightful owners. For almost the duration of that incumbency, she was limited to move around a 60-square-foot abode in that government hospital where no one knew the cure but only had limited knowledge of physical therapy.

Her health deteriorated sharply, but that was not enough for her tormentors. She was banned from communicating with the outside world and given limited visiting hours that would have to pass the Philippine National Police for approval, at least a day or two prior.

No one, not even her husband, was allowed to sleep in that room, and not even her children and grandchildren. They had to leave. She was even denied access to the chapel to hear the Sunday Mass. She was given limited time to mourn the death of her grandchild and brother-in-law. And she was asked to pay huge amounts for those moments.

It was truly heartbreaking when her grandchildren would visit and ask, “Lola, why are you sick for so long? When are you coming home?”

Yes, they did not want her to live. All six years, BSA3rd made sure that she would be a trophy for his administration until her last breath. She was mentioned in almost every speech he made during his foreign travels. She was even ordered to reduce her daily stroll to get sunshine for just one hour daily.

But this lady is one of a kind. She chose to fight for her rights in the courts of law to prove her innocence. She was patient as she is God-fearing with a sublime hope that justice would one day be served. Her weight dropped to a worrisome level, but she kept on praying with members of her family (who were also vilified and charged with all imaginable cases against them).

And patiently she waited until all those cases were proven wrong. Yes, she is free now and there is no way she will be repaid for her anguish in all those years. And did you hear her say anything bad about her persecutors? Not a whimper. She just wanted to end an episode in her life and wish that it will never happen again to anyone.

This is the statement made by her former election lawyer Atty. Romy Macalintal:

“The dismissal of the electoral sabotage case against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo only confirms my previous position that there is nothing illegal or unlawful [about] campaign[ing] for the entire slate of a political party or group of candidates, especially so that the Constitution allows multi-party system in our electoral processes.”

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DoH: 68 percent decline in firecracker-related accidents this year. Good news! It means we spent on food, instead.

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New Year is a time gadget and car manufacturers are so happy to tell you that all your toys are outdated.

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New Year wishes for senior citizens:
May your BP and cholesterol level stay normal.
May your gout disappear even if you’re unstoppable in eating innards and nuts.
May your hearing improve so you don’t have to shout.
May your memory improve so you can always remember your wife’s name, instead of your dog’s.
May you quit the habit of showing your senior citizen’s ID even when dining at home.
May you start liking the songs of Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus aside from appreciating their bodies.
May you drink less wine and stop making it as an excuse to prevent dehydration.
May you quit smoking someone else’s cigarettes.
May you stop looking at the wrong day, wrong month of a wrong calendar.
May you open the correct door and stop peeing at the fridge.
May you stop looking for a new model of wheelchair every year just to be ahead of your neighbor.
May you come to realize that you are only handicapped in just one part of your body.
May you refrain from attending reunions of the wrong class of the wrong school.
May you kick the habit of pretending to be surprised at a gift that you bought for yourself.

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Good work, good deeds and good faith to all.

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