This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
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House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales said Tuesday that the Former President and now Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo cannot be isolated from Congress nor prohibited from running for the same post until she was finally convicted of plunder. The Ombudsman filed its first plunder case against Mrs. Arroyo and 8 others over wrongdoings in the misuse of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) intelligence funds, yesterday.
The Ombudsman in its ruling said that the final analysis of the PCSO’s charter and the general appropriations acts for 2008, 2009 and 2010 were best left to the courts. About P365 million in PCSO funds were involved in the allegedly irregular disbursements which the Ombudsman said were abstracted for personal gain.
Gonzales said he did not believe that the filing of the plunder case has anything to do with President Aquino’s State of the Nation address on Monday. Aquino has made it a campaign to jail Mrs. Arroyo. Arroyo stressed out that she was authorized as president to approve the disbursements of the PCSO’s funds, that all her approvals were above board and did not cause injury to the public, and that she did not accumulate poorly gotten wealth.
The House majority leader said Congressmen Ruben Ecleo Jr. and Romeo Jalosjos were only removed from the rolls after their convictions became final. He said, “When final judgment includes the penalty of absolute and perpetual disqualification to hold public office that becomes part of penalty. In fact, she’s free to run. She can still decide to seek a 2nd term. Walang pipigil hanggat walang conviction ng final judgment.”
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