Go after Arroyo cronies too, lawmakers urge

Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. AFP file photo

With former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo under arrest, administration allies in Congress are urging President Benigno Aquino III to also go after her cohorts and cronies in politics, the military and business who had helped her in allegedly manipulating election results and plundering the government coffers.

Cavite Representative Joseph Emilio Abaya said the government should not just focus on Arroyo as she could not have allegedly all done these things without any support during her nine-year term.

“It is important to strengthen the cases. Looking for cronies and cohorts is part of it. If warranted, other cases should likewise be filed. Of course, it shouldn’t be just about GMA (Arroyo). All other personalities who have sinned in the past should likewise face charges,” said Abaya in a text message to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Boosting allies’ chances

Arroyo was arrested on electoral sabotage charges for allegedly manipulating the results of the 2007 elections to boost the chances of her allies in the Senate race.

The case was filed by the Commission on Elections and Department of Justice, both of which remain keen on also pursuing the “Hello Garci” controversy that was triggered by leaked phone conversations suggesting Arroyo also cheated the late Fernando Poe Jr. of victory in the presidential election of 2004.

Arroyo is also facing five  plunder charges in the DOJ and Office of the  Ombudsman (a sixth case involving the sale of an Iloilo airport property was  dismissed recently).

Cases enumerated

The cases involve: Misuse of more than P550 million from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) from March 2003 to February 2004; the disbursement of P1.6 billion in fertilizer funds to congressmen, governors and mayors for Arroyo’s presidential election in 2004; the $329-million NBN-ZTE deal;  and two cases involving the diversion of P325 million in intelligence funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

3 main categories

Akbayan party-list Represenative Walden Bello said the cases against Arroyo had been narrowed down to three main categories—electoral rigging in the 2004 and 2007 elections; wide-scale corruption such as the NBN-ZTE deal; and human rights violations.

Bello said these cases would only be resolved if the government also pursued and jailed Arroyo’s accomplices such as former Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos, former Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, and former major  general and Bantay party-list Representative Jovito Palparan.

“To secure sure convictions, the  DOJ (Department of Justice) must also mount Al Capone-strategies against GMA, her family and key cronies—that is, get them on grounds of tax evasion, even as it pursues harder criminal cases,” said Bello in a text message to the Inquirer.