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Bacolod City, Philippines Thursday, February 23, 2012
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Iggy’s body arriving in
Negros next week

BY CARLA GOMEZ

The body of Rep. Ignacio “Iggy” Arroyo Jr. (Neg. Occ., 5th District) is expected to be brought back to the Philippines tomorrow and it looks like the camps of his wife Alicia “Aleli” Arroyo and his partner Grace Ibuna have reached a compromise to ensure a dignified wake and burial for him.

If the schedule goes as planned, the remains of Arroyo could be flown to Negros Occidental Tuesday evening for a wake at the fifth district that could last until Friday morning.

The congressman died in London on January 26 after a long battle with cirrhosis of the liver but the return of his body to the Philippines has been delayed over a dispute as to who should have custody of it.

A London court on Monday granted Ibuna, who was with the congressman at the time of his death, and his daughter Bernardina Arroyo-Tantoco, joint custody of his remains, according to the stipulations of his will.

Aleli’s camp and Ibuna’s lawyer Leonardo de Vera in Manila yesterday agreed on a schedule for the wake of the congressman.

If his body arrives on Friday it will be brought to the ancestral house of the Arroyos in La Vista, Quezon City, for a wake until Sunday morning, after which it will be transferred to the nearby house of Aleli Arroyo until Tuesday morning.

On Tuesday the body will be transferred to the House of Representatives to allow the congressman’s colleagues time to pay their last respects and in the evening it will be flown to Negros Occidental.

The body is expected to be flown back to Manila on Friday morning and returned to the ancestral house of the Arroyos. The congressman will be buried beside his mother at the North Cemetery in Manila on Saturday or Sunday.

If there is a delay in the return of the body to the Philippines, both parties have agreed to redo the schedule.

De Vera said he hopes this agreement will put an end to any problem that will serve as a hindrance to a decent burial for the congressman.

Aleli told GMA TV she would attend the funeral of her husband, and if Ibuna is there, that will be a minor detail to arrange.

In London the final hearing on the repatriation of the remains Iggy was held Tuesday where Justice Peter Smith ordered that Aleli Arroyo should pay the legal costs of the UK proceedings, including the funeral costs which could be up to £94,000 or P6 million.

Aleli said she will not pay the amount as she is not under the jurisdiction of the UK court.*CPG

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