VOL. XXX NO. 158 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 WEDNESDAY : JULY 20, 2016 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph
240 courts to clear backlog of drug cases
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CASE DISMISSED
High Court votes 11-4 to drop GMA plunder case
‘Keep the faith in the justice system’. File photo shows former president and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo upon her arrival at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City for an overnight medical checkup. LINO SANTOS By Rey E. Requejo
Rody rejects China condition for talks
THE Philippines said Tuesday direct talks with China over their maritime dispute were unlikely to start anytime soon due to Beijing’s refusal to accept an international tribunal ruling on the South China Sea. The UN-backed tribunal said
last week there was no legal basis for China’s claims to most of the strategic, resource-rich waters. Beijing has staunchly rejected the verdict. “At this point in time, I am not sure whether negotiations can be pursued,” Philippine Foreign
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THE Supreme Court has dismissed the remaining plunder charges filed against detained former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo before the Sandiganbayan and ordered her release from hospital detention after almost four years. Voting 11-4, the Court on Tuesday granted Mrs. Arroyo’s petition for a dismissal of the case halfway through the trial due to the failure of
the prosecution team to present sufficient evidence to establish her guilt. In effect, the Court acquitted Mrs. Arroyo of the plunder case
filed by the Office of the Ombudsman during the administration of former President Benigno Aquino III, over the alleged misuse of P366 million in intelligence funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. The Court also dismissed the case against Mrs. Arroyo’s co-accused, former PCSO budget and accounts manager Benigno Aguas. Arroyo, under hospital arrest since 2012, thanked the Supreme Court justices for acquitting her. Next page