By Sammy F. Martin
MANILA, Sept. 16 (PNA) — The anti-graft court on Wednesday junked the motion of detained former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for another furlough to attend the 40th Mass and inurnment rites of his late brother, Arturo de la Rosa Macapagal.
The Sandiganbayan First Division ruled that the court sided with the prosecution’s opposition not to grant Arroyo’s request to attend the final rights for his late brother since just like other detention prisoners.
The prosecution said in their opposition that Mrs. Arroyo “cannot be allowed the full enjoyment of her rights, be it civil or political.”
“The court is not inclined to grant the accused-movant’s motion… wherefore, in light of all the foregoing, the accused-movant’s motion for leave to attend the 40th Day Mass, Inurnment Rites and Post-inurnment Prayers for Arturo de la Rosa Macapagal… is hereby denied for lack of merit,” the resolution read.
Mrs. Arroyo is asking the anti-graft court for another 4-hour furlough aside from travel time to and from Veterans Memorial and Medical Center (VMMC).
Macapagal, the son of the late President Diosdado Macapagal to his first wife Purita de la Rosa, died at the Makati Medical Center (MMC) last Aug. 10 due to stage 4 prostate cancer.
The inurnment of ashes of the former shooting champion was supposed to take place last Aug. 15 but his family decided to bring it home and reschedule the rote to coincide with the 40th day of his death.
After his death, Arroyo was allowed by the First Division to attend the wake and funeral rites of his brother.
The current Pampanga lawmaker faces a plunder case which stemmed from alleged misuse of Php 366-million intelligence funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) from 2007 to 2010.
The former leader has been detained at VMMC in Quezon City since 2012. (PNA)