Palace denies AFP, PNP pocketed bounty for Tiamzons arrest

By: Nestor Corrales - 11 years ago

Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang on Saturday challenged a lawmaker to prove his claim that some officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) pocketed part of the reward money for the arrest of communist leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon in Cebu last March.

“You know, we don’t know what the basis is for that and I have not seen the good congressman make any statement kung saan po niya—ano ho ‘yung basehan at ano po ba ‘yan but, we are certain that it is not true,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said on radio.

(You know, we don’t know what the basis is for that and I have not seen the good congressman make any statement on where he got the basis of his claim, but we are certain that it is not true.)

Valte was reacting to the statement of Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate who claimed that top officials of the AFP and PNP pocketed part of the reward of the informant that led to the arrest of the Tiamzons.

The accusation by Zarate came in the wake of the misdeclaration by the Armed Forces of the reward money imposed on arrested communist leaders.

AFP spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala earlier said that the reward on the heads of the two communist leaders was P11.2 million, but later corrected that it was P20 million.

“Secretary Gazmin and Roxas, as well as the AFP, should account for the total amount actually released as the two officials have been quiet about the AFP’s understated funds for reward money that they had collected. This involves a total of P41.45 million, of which amount, the AFP claimed to have collected only some P22.4 million. So where is the rest of the reward money?” Zarate said in a statement Friday.

“You know, I am quite sure that can be clarified, but you know, to say na binulsa (pocketed) is an entirely different thing and he better be prepared to prove that. Otherwise, he is just blowing smoke,” Valte said.