MANILA, February 22 ---- Police in southern Metro Manila have started rehearsing security plan for the arraignment of former President Gloria Arroyo before a Pasay City court. The police said the security arrangements will prioritize security for the former leader when she is brought to the court, radio dzBB's Sam Nielsen reported. Other arrangements will take into account the possibility of pro- and anti-Arroyo groups showing up at the court on the day of the arraignment, the report said.

However, the report also said the police have yet to say when the date for the arraignment will be. Earlier, the Pasay City court allowed a separate arraignment date for Arroyo on charges of electoral sabotage. Charged along with Arroyo, now a congresswoman representing Pampanga's second legislative district, are former Commission on Elections chief Benjamin Abalos and former Maguindanao election supervisor Lintang Bedol.

Arroyo has been under hospital arrest since Nov. 18, when the Pasay court issued a warrant for her arrest. On orders of the Pasay court, she was transferred from the St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig City to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City last December.

Source: gmanetwork.com