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Arroyo to Duterte: I thank you for dismissal of plunder raps

Former Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has acknowledged President Rodrigo Duterte’s “role” in the acquittal of her plunder cases filed by the Aquino administration.

“I thank you that when you became President, you provided the atmosphere in which the Court had the freedom to acquit me of the trumped-up charges my successor and your predecessor filed against me,” Arroyo said at the appreciation dinner for Arroyo hosted by members of the 17th Congress on Tuesday night.

“The Court voted 11-4 in my favor, including half of those who were appointed by my accuser,” she was referring to former President Benigno Aquino III.

Less than a month after Duterte assumed office In 2016, the Supreme Court dismissed the plunder raps in connection with the alleged P366-million intelligence fund scam that led to the detention of Arroyo for almost four years.

In 2016, Arroyo has vowed to work with Duterte. She has since been a strong supporter of his programs, such as lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to nine years old and actions on the South China Sea dispute.

Staff Report

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