Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s song
In the tug-of-war between long-time partner Grace Ibuna and legal wife Alicia Rita Arroyo for the body of Negros Occidental Rep. Iggy Arroyo, the ultimate losers are Mike and Gloria Arroyo.
Why? Because there are rumors that Iggy, Mike’s younger brother, was not able to turn over the bulk of the billions of pesos that he allegedly kept for the former First Couple.
Money—tons of it—is the reason for the fight over Iggy’s body.
And to think that years ago, before his sister-in-law became president, Iggy lived in an apartment and was reportedly months behind in rent.
* * *
To make herself look clean and honest in the public eye, Gloria made her husband, Mike, take the rap, keeping the money in the hands of people they could trust.
The trusted ones were Iggy and Vicky Toh, Mike’s accountant and special friend.
With Iggy gone, the only other person with the loot is Vicky Toh. But it could be that Toh may not give up the money without a fight.
People close to the Arroyos and Toh say that Vicky, who is now living in Canada, set one condition for the return of the loot, which would affect the couple’s marital ties.
* * *
Poor Gloria!
Mike took on the perks not for himself and his wife, but for other people close to him, when Gloria was still President.
When Mike was on the verge of dying in 2007 due to a heart attack and aneurysm, then President Gloria worried no end that she and her children would be left with practically no money if her husband would kick the bucket.
But when Mike pulled through, according to their friends, he refused to talk with his family—Gloria and the children—about how to get back the money he reportedly entrusted to Iggy and Vicky.
Mike kept procrastinating most probably because Iggy and Vicky were also vacillating about returning the money.
A close friend of the Arroyos told me that the reason why Mike had a heart attack and aneurysm in 2007 in the first place was because he was worried how he could get the money back.
At that time, Iggy’s wife was asking the court for a division of their conjugal property as a condition for their legal separation.
The conjugal property reportedly included billions of pesos in the bank allegedly in the name of Iggy, alias Jose Pidal.
* * *
There’s a song about a double-cross that best describes Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s situation.
The lyrics go like this:
Ako ang nagtanim
Ako ang nagbayo
Ako ang nagsaing
Iba ang kumain
(I planted [the palay]
I pounded it into rice
I cooked it
[But] somebody else ate it)
* * *
Gloria’s money woes are compounded by the prospect of going to prison for several plunder cases and a charge for election sabotage.
Mike reportedly visits her while she is in detention at the hospital only when their grandchildren drop by on Mondays and Tuesdays.
The man who once proudly carried the title of First Gentleman allegedly complained about the huge bills incurred by Gloria when she was confined at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
“What kind of a man is he? After using his wife to amass wealth, he complains of paying her hospital bills!” said a close female friend of the former President.
