The camp of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should clarify which of the memorial services for her late brother-in-law, Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio Arroyo, she intends to attend, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Saturday.
\nComelec spokesperson James Jimenez said the detained former President\u2019s request for the Pasay City court to allow her to attend the lawmaker\u2019s wake was \u201cvery vague.\u201d
\n\u201cWe need the details \u2026 Her request is to attend the wake but what if the wake is \u2026 I don\u2019t know \u2026 in Hong Kong? So does that mean she will have to travel? What if the wake is in Negros?\u201d Jimenez said.
\nNecessary
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t know the exact dimension of this request of hers for provisional freedom so we want her to clarify it first,\u201d he said, adding that such a clarification was necessary for the government to prepare the logistical and security requirements.
\nArroyo has been under hospital arrest at Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City since Nov. 18. She is charged with electoral sabotage before the Pasay City court.
\nJimenez said that \u201cevery time she goes out, we incur costs for security, logistics\u2026\u201d
\n\u201cShe can\u2019t go [to the wake] alone. Someone must be assigned to her, so their request should be clear,\u201d he said.
\nJimenez also said it was \u201chard to say\u201d if the court would give Arroyo the requested permission \u201cbecause it all depends on the circumstances.\u201d
\n\u201cIf they say \u2018I want to attend the wake,\u2019 the next they will say is \u2018I want to attend the burial,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n