DOJ won’t oppose house arrest for JPE, GMA

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Justice (DOJ) will not oppose moves to put Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo under house arrest while both are standing trial in separate corruption cases.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said her office, which investigated the cases against Enrile and Arroyo before they were forwarded to the Office of the Ombudsman and filed with the Sandiganbayan, would leave the decision up to the discretion of the courts.

“It will be the ombudsman’s call whether to oppose such moves or not,” De Lima told The STAR in a text message yesterday.

However, De Lima did not categorically state that by not opposing the proposals, it follows that the DOJ is supporting the calls for the house arrest of Enrile and Arroyo, who are both ailing while facing plunder cases before the anti-graft court.

Vice President Jejomar Binay and several sectors, including Catholic bishops, have expressed support for Enrile’s and Arroyo’s house arrest.

Binay slammed government prosecutors for opposing the proposal, calling such move “cold and callous” and “lacking in compassion for the sick and elderly.”

He said this also reinforces the “widely held view” of the administration’s selective justice and would invite further criticisms that political opponents are treated harshly.

Moves for the house arrest of 91-year-old Enrile came up after he was rushed to the Makati Medical Center last week due to pneumonia.

Binay also supported calls to grant house arrest to Arroyo, currently under hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City.