Self-proclaimed “Oprah Winfrey of the Philippines” and presidential sister Kris Aquino may be given a run for the money if reports that brilliant international human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin will take up the case of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA).
International human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin is also George Clooney’s fiancee.
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The story of Alamuddin’s interest in Arroyo’s plight first broke in Philippine Star columnist Carmen Pedrosa’s piece Hollywood meets human rights; Amal takes up FPGMA’s case. According to Pedrosa, Alamuddin had indicated in a brief conversation that Arroyo’s case could be brought before a United Nations court “if there is reason”.
Following that discussion, Alamuddin subsequently got in touch with Pedrosa again on the matter and swung by Manila for a quick visit. Pedrosa writes of the outcome of that visit…
By the time [Alamuddin] was on her way to London she committed to help former President Arroyo by advising her on her rights under international law. This was not about power politics but about human rights and every individual was entitled to it, she said.
This will be a much-needed boost to the fortunes of Arroyo who, it seems, is being detained on the basis of charges that are unlikely to fly, many of which have already been dismissed…
If BS Aquino can’t get GMA on vote rigging, he will try her on plunder again and again. Along with some people involved with Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) during GMA’s term, a case was filed against her for the allegedly conspiring to pocket intelligence and confidential funds of the PCSO amounting to some P365 million. Unfortunately, the main witness admitted that there is no solid proof to link GMA and her co-accused to the allegedly plundered public funds. The incompetence in BS Aquino’s administration is very evident. I’m surprised no heads have rolled.
The response from Malacanang was predictable. Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Sonny Coloma issued a statement highlighting that it is “a matter of duty on the part of the administration to ensure that no law is violated,” referring to questions raised on whether the manner with which Arroyo has been treated by the government of President BS Aquino since he assumed power did violate her rights. Coloma insists that “there is no ill will toward the former President and we are simply following the processes of law.”
Strangely, a certain Luz Ilagan party-list representative of the communist-sympathising “women’s issues” group Gabriela warned Alamuddin to respect Philippine Law; “Otherwise, her actions might be construed as interventionist”. A strange position to take by a representative of a group affiliated with a movement renowned for its singular objective of overthrowing legitimate democratic governments through violent revolution.
The government of President BS Aquino has long used popular celebrities as key pillars of its power base. Chief amongst these celebrities is presidential sister Kris Aquino, so-called “Queen of All Philippine Media” and one of the most revered showbiz personalities in the Philippines. The million-dollar question may come down to whose celebrity will hook the most Filipinos, Clooney’s or Kris’s if it comes down to a tele-showdown. Then again, that won’t really matter if the case, with Alamuddin’s help, could be brought to courts not infected by the disease that is Philippine politics.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
Kris Aquino dominates the TV, because she is greedy for fame…I think her sexual prowess is known thruout the world, also…The Aquinos thrive on Myth and fame…
Aquino himself is a plunderer…look at his Pork Barrel scam…it is now like a thief judging a thief…look at the family’s greed of land, like the Hacienda Luisita, that they scammed from the Filipino people.
The leftist NPA (communist front) was a creation of the late, Benigno Aquino II. It is his strategic political tool. Can you see, the self proclaimed NPA Supremo: Jose Maria Sison, has no statement on the mistakes of Benigno Aquino III. The arm shipment of the ill fated MV Karagatan,off the coast of Palanan, Isabela; was Benigno Aquino II work…to grab power…So, the NPA “communist” (leftist) elements are now defending him?
The Arroyo trial will be another “show trial” to divert the attention of people…How about the trial of the Maguindanao massacre? The Dacer-Corbito murder case? The Hacienda Luisita massacre cover-up? The Arroyo trial is another diversionary tactic of Aquino and his cahoots…
Don’t forget the Corona ‘trial’, BWAH HA HA HA HAHA !
The country is fucked.F-U-C-K-E-D, as in permanently.
But hey, You still have the Filipino version of “The Price is right”.LOL!
Two years time they all go and vote for the very same people who have been robbing them for the last six years.
Then they spend the next six years moaning that nothing ever changes.
Wala kasing abogadong Pinoy na may bayag na gawin ito…
Coloma stated that there is no ill will towards the former president. Either he doesn’t know BS Aquino very well, or he’s a BS artist.
He lost nothing,kept his money,did not go to jail and had the whole country laughing, why would he be mad?
Question:How do you know a Filipino Politician is a lying?
Answer: When their lips are moving.
This is just another scam, the woman, who will never spend a day in a real jail cell is a scam artist. Unless this woman is not the same woman who is married to the guy who sold used helicopters back to the Filipino tax-payers as new, she is guilty. The problem will be that ,like her sleazy-ass husband, she knew exactly how to cover her tracks.
The poor Failed state that is the PHAIL-ippines is just fucked.
Over 5 yrs. later, the Amputuans,who are probably not even in their jail cells, have not been brought to trial. The woman who had to travel back to Bei-jing to personally hand back the money she was paid for her part in the the “SMART” scandal is going to walk free.The Guy who just gave $25,000 away as Christmas gifts to his Senate buddies(and was caught red-handed), courtesy of the tax-payers, was never even prosecuted, nor did the old fart have to give the money back, and yet the vast majority of the people in the country are a half a peso away from the shit-house.Even when a former President who was facing a death penalty, gets elected as Mayor of the countries biggest city. I could never imagine this in any country, except the Phail-ippines.
Good luck with that prosecution.Smile George! HA, this is a cinch to work. Filipino’s are awe struck when ever they even see a Filipino film star,never mind George”I am an old man now’ Clooney.
Question: Could the Fail-ippines be any more fucked?
Answer: No, but they are working on it.
As a relative newcomer to this country catching up on all the horror, I only learned about the Mayor of Manila’s background this week. Holy shit Filipinos, sort yourselves out.
@Dave, when posting on subjects related to the Government…..Do not use your own name or e-mail address, use the TOR BROWSER AND A VPN SERVICE. you can be jailed/sued/and then deported.This blog is patrolled by the state.
A word to the wise should be sufficient.
@DAVE that’s IF If if you are in the Philippines. if not, bombs away!!!!!
The problem with the Philippines is that its full of Filipinos. And the problem with Filipinos is it’s like the country; scattered, disordered, each to his own.
In a KSP culture, you wonder if the chattering crowd will be interested in Amal Alamuddin because of her work as a human rights lawyer or because they want to gossip about her wedding to George Clooney.
A portion of that chattering crowd is of the opinion that Amal Alamuddin should not get involved with Arroyo’s case because she supposedly either doesn’t know or is willfully looking past the “evil” that Arroyo did during her time as president.
…evils, which the Aquino administration have been having a hard time pinning her down in court with, I must add 😛
HA HA HA, yes, it should be real difficult prosecuting…NOT!!!! but it will be.
HMMM,why is that?
They entirely missed the point of her work as a human rights advocate.
As a lawyer, Ms Alamuddin has worked on a number of high profile (international) cases where, arguably, her clients’ rights were violated. It also happens that quite a number of those clients are also accused of having violated OTHER peoples’ rights. In some very brutal and horrendous ways.
She is on the defence team of Abdullah al-Senussi, Muammar Qadaffi’s right hand man for four decades. As Qaddafi’s intelligence chief, the 64-year-old supervised torture, assassinations and town-square hangings. Many Libyans blame him for the massacre of 1,200 inmates at Tripoli’s Abu Salem prison, a Paris court has convicted him in absentia for the bombing of a French airliner in 1989, and Scottish police are to interview him over allegations of masterminding the Lockerbie bombing. He fled Libya during the 2011 Arab spring revolution, but was caught in Mauritania and returned to Libya.
She was also a legal adviser to Bahrain’s king, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, who has been accused by human rights groups of systematic torture and repression.
Come to think of it, representing a corrupt politician in a third world Asian country who has been accused of abusing power and pillaging the nation’s coffers doesn’t seem to be outside her wheelhouse after all. President Penoy might want to get her number. 😉
Reminds me of Qaddafi’s daughter who went to work in defending Saddam after he was captured. Lately I heard this one got kicked out of Algeria for attempted arson.
Sounds like advocata diaboli to me.
She also represented Julian Assange and Yulia Timoshenko. It does seem to me “human rights” differs in definition depending on who’s defining, based on Alamuddin’s being a “human rights” activist.
Colonel Gaddafi’s elite 40 bodyguard team was entirely female.
The original name of the bodyguard team was the Amazonian Guard and they always wore green.
After Colonel Gaddafi published a political philosophy book called The Green Book the name of the Amazonian Guard was changed to The Green Nuns of the Revolution.
The term “human” should be redefined then…
Pinoys could care less what good you do. All they care is you are an international celebrity . Case in point, in 2009 Pinoys could care less there was a man with a book cart educating kids on the street. Their streets, Once he was contestant in CNN Heroes then they care . Something to scratch the KSP itch.
In French…
Surement, Mile Allamuddin, parle Francais…
ne vows embrouillez pas sur les stupidities des politicians Philippins…
…ils sont les plus mauves au monde…
English Translation:
Surely, Miss Allamuddin speak French…don’t embroil yourself on the stupidities of Filipino politicians…they are the worst in the world…
The Filipino Poiticians are worst in the World because majority Filipinos are Dumb and Stoopid.
I know my comment here is somehow not related to the article but since benignO started the article with the idiot Kris Aquino, I just need to say this. Is there any way these stupid Aquinos can shut up? First, we have the older idiotic brother (I have too much respect for the retarded ones. B– S— Aquino, our idiotic president, does not deserve to be called retarded!) Second, we have his lunatic sister that’s invading and dumbing down our media. Is there really hope for us? Wake up, Philippines! For those who will even attempt to tell me to just do my part……here’s to you…..F–yourself because I’m sick and tired of our seeing how my taxes are paying the idiots in our government. Getrealphilippines is a good start to for us to wake to reality but how many are we compared to the idiot masses? And thanks to our super idiotic government and the likes of Abunda and Aquino, the idiotic masses will remain idiotic forever! Come on guys, is there any way we can show them that we are sick and tired of their pretensions!
A new way to beat the charges? throw the case to an International court, the U.N..Never mind that ‘HUMAN RIGHTS’ is not even what the Woman is facing in the Fail-ippines. It would be a classic STRAWMAN defense that would relieve the current government of all culpability of complicity to let the ‘Li’l girl’ off, and also it would not have to insult the citizens with yet another SHAMBOLIC ‘committe/blue-ribbon panel’ farce.The ‘Li’l girl/Woman’ then walks away with her CA$H/HOMES/PRIZES and GIFTS and all the rest of the crooks say what great jobs they did.
Filipino’s are just stupid enough to fall for it.HA,WTF R they going to do anyway?
I wouldn’t be surprised if Filipinos would care more about George Clooney than a human rights lawyer. The fact that the national pastime of this nation (tsismis) is enough proof. And it’s no doubt the biased media will sensationalize news like this once again.
They will milk the “Palabas/trial” to the last drop…the Greatest Show on Earth…all kinds of politicians, real actors, real actresses…all
will compete for the lead role…
Who will be the “contrabidas” and the “bidas”? The clowns? The are already “unanos”,”unanas”, freaks Like Hacienda Luisita Swines…people who really look like Swines and behave like Swines, engorging in Pork Barrels; sex contortionists (maraming kabit); clown drunkards, Puppets/Puppeteers, etc…what a country!!!
Just a minor correction:
Amal Alammudin is now, Amal Clooney. She’s the wife -not the fiancee- of Hollywood star George Clooney.
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In Gloria Arroyo’s case, I believe the Aquino administration has gone beyond the borders of justice. Regardless of Arroyo’s corruption case, she is still human. Now that she is no longer in power, it’s time that the government should start treating her as a Filipino citizen and honor her rights as a human being. Everyone can see the deteriorating health of the former president. Her life is in apparent danger. Politics or otherwise, it is inhumane to intentionally put someone’s life at risk.