Oops, De Lima goofs, says sorry to FG Arroyo

Leila de Lima may have learned as a schoolgirl the importance of crossing her “t’s” and dotting her “i’s.” Now she’s learning the importance of finding the missing “r.”

The secretary of justice on Friday publicly apologized to Jose Miguel Arroyo, husband of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, for the erroneous information relayed to her by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) that it had no record of his departure for Hong Kong last July 31.

De Lima said she would find out from the bureau why she was fed the wrong information.

As it turned out, Arroyo not only left for Hong Kong—he even lined up at an immigration counter at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), which indicated his departure was properly documented.

“I really want to know what was the true cause of the wrong information given to me yesterday (Thursday) because I asked about it and that was the information given to me. Now, it turns out mali pala (it was wrong),” De Lima told reporters.

“That’s why if the former first gentleman is seeking my apology, then I am humbly doing it. I humbly apologize in behalf of the BI for this mistake, for this lapse,” she said.

Single ‘r’

BI spokesperson Ma. Antonette Bucasas-Mangrobang on Friday said the bureau actually had records of Arroyo’s departure at 4:28 p.m. last Sunday.

However, Mangrobang said the encoder at the immigration counter at the Naia terminal erroneously recorded Arroyo’s surname with a single “r.”

“The reason why there was negative verification in the beginning was that there was a mistake in the encoding of the name by the officer who attended to him,” Mangobang said.

“Instead of double ‘r,’ what was encoded was a single ‘r.’ So when (Arroyo’s trip) was [checked], it yielded a negative result. But we verified with the flight manifest of the airlines and we confirmed he boarded Cathay Pacific Flight No. CX918,” she told reporters.

Mangrobang withheld the name of the immigration employee, saying the latter was already being investigated and had been ordered to explain in writing the reason behind the erroneous spelling of Arroyo’s  name.

As for the sanction that might be imposed on the employee, Mangrobang said: “There is an appropriate [penalty] based on whatever explanation he would make. Our administrative division will make the appropriate assessment.”

Not isolated case

Asked if Arroyo’s right to travel was being violated, Mangrobang said: “To be candid about it, there’s no reason for him not to be allowed to leave because at that time (July 31) there was no watch list issued against him. So he could really leave the country.”

Asked if such incidents are frequent at the airport, she said: “It happens. This is not an isolated case. That is why when there are incidents such as this, they (immigration employees) are made to explain the error.”

Arroyo’s lawyers had challenged De Lima to apologize, saying Arroyo even fell in line at the  immigration counter.

De Lima said she ordered the BI to check the closed-circuit TV and, indeed, Arroyo was seen lining up along with other passengers.

“I was able to verify this afternoon that (he) passed through the immigration counter contrary to what was reported to me that (his name) was not on the database,” De Lima said.

She said that on further verification, “it appears that the fault was with an immigration officer. A case of wrong spelling was encoded.”

Earlier, De Lima, who has placed Arroyo on the immigration watch list, said that even immigration chief Ricardo David was puzzled why Arroyo’s name did not appear on the immigration records.

De Lima said she was informed that a “Juan Miguel Arroyo” appeared on the database but the last name was spelled with a single “r.” She wondered why there could be an erroneous record of a “high-profile” person’s name.

De Lima said on Thursday that according to the BI, there were no records of Arroyo leaving the country. This prompted her to surmise Arroyo might have left on a chartered flight.

On Friday, De Lima took the initiative to correct the misinformation.

“Upon double checking by BI, it was verified that former FG Mike Arroyo actually left PH on July 31 via Cathay Pacific based on the flight manifest,” she said in a text message.

“It appears that he did not pass through immigration. Somebody facilitated the processing of his documents. I directed Commissioner David to investigate the matter.”

‘So reckless’

The incorrect claim had sparked denials from the Arroyo camp.

“That’s a lie from the DOJ,” said Raul Lambino, legal spokesperson of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. “They are so reckless.”

Arroyo’s departure followed accusations during a Senate inquiry that he had sold second-hand, overpriced helicopters to the Philippine National Police, which were billed as brand new.

Arroyo in 2007 underwent open heart surgery for a condition known as dissecting aortic aneurysm.

Lambino said Arroyo went through the usual departure procedure at the airport and that people could not have missed him because of his size.

Answering claims that the former President—who was discharged from hospital Friday after  surgery in connection with a spine ailment—and her husband might be faking an illness to evade prosecution, Lambino said: “That is again a very, very unchristian, merciless statement coming from the Palace and their allies.”

Arroyo’s lawyer, Inocencio Ferrer, demanded an apology from De Lima for supposedly resorting to rumor mongering.

Ferrer presented to the media a copy of Arroyo’s passport with the departure stamp, his baggage tag on Cathay Pacific Flight No. CX918, receipts for the travel tax, the airport user’s charge and his arrival documents in Hong Kong.

Ferrer said his client wanted to attend the Senate hearing “but it depends on the recommendation of his doctor.”

Malacañang on Friday said Arroyo should stop complaining about his being placed on a watch list, which would require him to seek justice department clearance before he could leave.

“FG should stop whining. It’s just a watch list,” Presidential Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang said. “It’s not like he’s being banned from traveling.” With reports from Tarra Quismundo, Gil C. Cabacungan Jr. and Norman Bordadora