Arrest warrant issued for Catholic archbishop

Dear Folks,

Here goes Gloria Arroyo again with her Glo-jokes. It's got to be a joke. Imagine, her government suing Archbishop Oscar Cruz for libel on behalf of 19 government women employees who entertained FG Mike Arroyo at his birthday party in 2004. According to the "lawshit," the archbishop called the women "GRO," the acronym for "Guest Relations Officer." In the good old days, they're called hostesses. But I guess they want to gain some "respectability" by using a professional sounding title. But like they said, "a rose by any other name is still a rose." The bottom line is: what did these women do to entertain Mike and his birthday guests? Perhaps the judge should subpoena Mike to testify how the GROs entertained him and his guests?

In my opinion, the "lawshit" against Archbishop Cruz is in retaliation to Archbishop Cruz's statement that he will not give Holy Communion to Gloria and members of her family unless she connfesses all her sins and returns all the money she stole from the people. Some people were saying that what the archbishop did was tantamount to an excommunication. Ughh! That hurts. No wonder Gloria is furious.

Perry



Arrest warrant issued for Catholic archbishop

By Barbara Mae Dacanay, Bureau Chief
Published: May 14, 2008, 00:41

Manila: A Manila court has issued an arrest warrant against a controversial Catholic archbishop who was charged with libel for his derogatory statements against female government officials who had attended a birthday party for President Gloria Arroyo's husband in 2004.

Judge Antonio Rosales of the Manila Regional Trial Court issued the arrest warrant against Archbishop Oscar Cruz, but recommended a bail for 10,000 peso (Dh909).

Cruz, a vocal critic of Arroyo, said he was being persecuted by Malacanang, the presidential palace.

"The justice department wants to silence me," Cruz said in a TV interview.

The case stemmed from an article which Cruz had written and was printed in several newspapers on June 28, 2004.

He claimed that the women workers of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) were like "pitiful GROs" (guest relations officers, a euphemism for cheap entertainers) during the birthday party of Jose Miguel Arroyo in 2004.

"I was defending the ladies. They are being exploited by Pagcor. I even called other women's organisation to go to their assistance. The article was not against them [Pagcor ladies]," Cruz said.

Biggest defence

"I did not write down their names," said Cruz, adding this was his biggest defence in the case against him. It was Pagcor which listed down the names of the women who attended the party four years ago.

Earlier, a Manila prosecutor had junked the complaint filed by Pagcor's lady marketing assistants.

But the complainants filed a motion before the justice department, prompting Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez to order the filing of libel charges against Cruz last April.