Ex-COA chief Villar should be in graft probe vs Arroyo, says Bayan Muna rep

MANILA, Philippines—Former Commission on Audit Chairman Reynaldo Villar should be included in the graft investigation against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares said in a 990AM interview Tuesday.

“I’d really like the former chairman of the COA to be included in the investigation because impunity, for me, is not only [for] the perpetrators,” Colmenares said.

He added that the support structure of the impunity should also be investigated because they have been part of the cover-up.

Colmenares was referring to the allegation of Bayan Muna party-list that then President Arroyo, now a Pampanga representative, had accumulated ill-gotten wealth from the diversion of P325 million in Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office intelligence funds in the last two-and-a-half years of her administration to what many perceive as non-existent spy missions against “jueteng” operators.

“Palaging clean bill of health ito e [It’s always a clean bill of health],” Colmenares said of Villar.

“Yung regular na fund ang daming anomalya, ito pa kayang hindi na au-audit… Pero walang napansin si Chairman Villar na any irregularity at all nung time niya [The regular funds had a lot of anomalies, how much more those which were not subject to audit… But Chairman Villar did not notice any irregularities at all during his time],” added the party-list representative.

Bayan Muna on Monday said it would file with the Office of the Ombudsman this week plunder charges against Arroyo, for allegedly looting the P325-million intelligence fund of the PCSO.

Colmenares said the charges would be based on the intent of both Arroyo and former PCSO General Manager Rosario Uriarte “to realign the funds to bypass restrictive procedures for the release and disbursement of funds, and worse, to avoid the accounting and liquidation procedures of the Commission on Audit.”