2 senators want ordinary jail for Arroyo

MANILA, Philippines - Senators Francis Escudero and Alan Peter Cayetano on Monday said former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should be transferred to a regular detention facility and not be placed under house arrest.



Escudero told reporters that although Arroyo must be accorded respect as a former president, she must not be given special treatment.


He said ordinary people accused of crimes are immediately taken to jail.


For his part, Cayetano said placing Arroyo under house arrest amounts to special treatment.


The Senate minority leader believes the case the government filed against her is strong enough to put her "where any other detainee should be held" without bail.


"It's the burden of the Arroyos to show that there are special circumstances for house arrest," Cayetano said.


Bail for Arroyo


Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, meanwhile, believes that the former president may still post bail and forgo arrest if the evidence is not strong enough to prove she is guilty of electoral sabotage.


She said that even before discussing where to detain Arroyo, the regional trial court (RTC) judge handling her case should first decide whether she can post bail.


Santiago, a former RTC judge, explained that although electoral sabotage is commonly described as a non-bailable offense, a judge may allow an accused to post bail if the evidence of guilt is not strong.


"The burden of proof is for the prosecution to prove the evidence of guilt is strong," she told reporters on Monday. "I think this should take precedence over the debate on her arrest."


Santiago said the evidence is not yet strong enough to prove Arroyo masterminded fraud in the elections.


Should the court refuse let Arroyo post bail, however, the senator believes she must be placed under house arrest, considering her medical condition and that a former president, Joseph Estrada, was given the same treatment.


She added that world figures like Myanmar's pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Chile's former president, Augusto Pinochet,  have been granted the same privilege.