Senators ready more charges vs Mike Arroyo

Senators are preparing a second wave of criminal charges against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s husband,  Jose Miguel Arroyo,  in connection with the sale of used helicopters to the Philippine National Police (PNP) in 2009.

Senator Teofisto Guingona III, chair of the blue ribbon committee, on Saturday said the panel would proceed with its investigation despite the filing of plunder charges against Arroyo and top Police officials, including former PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, who exposed the allegedly anomalous chopper deal, was wary that plunder “might not be the right case against Arroyo.”

“On the part of the Senate, we will file a separate case that will ensure a conviction,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone.

“The PNP may have filed complaints for plunder and other related violations of law with the Ombudsman… but it does not prevent the Senate from filing a different set of charges/criminal complaints based on our own evaluation of evidence gathered during the blue ribbon committee hearings,” Lacson said.

Guingona said the cases filed by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) did not preclude the Senate from filing a separate case.

Lacson wants to include in the complaint Arroyo’s younger brother, Negros Occidental Representative Ignacio “Iggy” Arroyo, who has insisted that it was he who had leased two of the three choppers later sold to the PNP.

Lacson insisted the elder Arroyo was the real owner of the choppers, who subsequently forced the PNP to buy them.

“If Mike Arroyo still does not get it, nobody in this world stays in power forever,” he said in a statement. “It’s payback time for the Filipino people and all those cheated of their taxes in this country.”

Lacson added: “There’s one among his numerous accusations against me that I won’t argue, albeit partially, if it is consolation enough for him—my motivation in running after him is 50 percent patriotism and 50 percent personal.”

But Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said he was satisfied with the CIDG complaint. He said Iggy Arroyo need not be included because he clearly was just serving as his older brother’s “safety net” (tagasalo).

Lacson said he and his colleagues were also considering filing cases against lawyer Lope Velasco and bookkeeper Rowena del Rosario for possible perjury or falsification of public documents.

Velasco notarized Iggy Arroyo’s affidavit claiming he had leased the choppers, while Del Rosario worked for the Arroyos’ LTA Corp.

Also included in the CIDG case were Archibald Po of Lionair and Hilario de Vera of Manila Aerospace Products Trading.

Lacson said the immunity granted by the Senate to Po and De Vera would hold despite the CIDG case.

He was optimistic the Ombudsman would “respect” the immunity, but admitted that it would be up to the courts to decide later whether the two could turn state’s evidence.