Aquino aide welcomes filing of graft charges vs Arroyo

MANILA, Philippines—A Malacañang official on Friday expressed no disappointment with the Ombudsman’s filing of graft charges instead of plunder against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as alleged in the original complaint arising from the scuttled multi-billion-peso national broadband network deal with China’s ZTE telecommunications company.

Ronald Llamas, President Aquino’s adviser on political affairs, said there are other plunder cases pending in the Department of Justice and in the Office of the Ombudsman

“Graft is still graft. It is a culpability, an impunity, a huge crime committed by the highest official of the land,” Llamas told reporters in an interview after President Benigno Aquino III presided over rites marking  Rizal on  115th anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal’s  death.

“There are many cases before the Ombudsman and the DOJ. Offhand, there is the PCSO case. It was clear in the widely viewed statement of (former PCSO general manager Rosario) Uriarte that she was instructed by the (former) President with signatures, etc., etc.,” he added.

Llamas said Arroyo’s instructions to Uriarte regarding the release of millions of pesos in PCSO, as contained in the latter’s testimony at a Senate inquiry is an example of a clear case that has a good chance of getting filed in the courts.