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Wednesday, August 20, 2003
Freeze Mike Arroyo's funds, Ping asks
MANILA—Jose Pidal is a dead man. He was also a grandfather of First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo.
This discovery from official Senate archives coincided with Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s call Tuesday for an investigation on Arroyo, whom he accused of stashing over P270 million in laundered funds.
“Until we have gone over and studied the report and supporting evidence, we cannot make any comment thereon,” the Anti-Money Laundering Council said in a statement.
The council can freeze accounts under investigation and go over transactions, particularly bank deposits, exceeding P4 million.
Malacañang shrugged off Lacson’s corruption charges against Arroyo’s husband, branding them “desperate fairy tales.”
An ABS-CBN Manila report said one of the senator’s sources is a close aide “who carries the money bag” for Mike Arroyo from his office at the LTA Building in Makati to three banks in the area.
Sen. Aquilino Pimentel said a group, including that aide, approached him about 10 months ago to report the alleged corrupt deals. Pimentel, however, wanted confirmation.
“I was worried that if this sole witness recants, I would be left holding an empty bag,” said Pimentel, who added that Lacson’s revelations in a privilege speech last Monday were the same information presented to him.
Jose Pidal
Lacson claimed that while the Arroyo couple reported P50 million in campaign contributions to the Commission on Elections, they had actually rounded up more than P321 million.
He alleged that Mike Arroyo stashed the money in several accounts, including one under an alleged alias, “Jose Pidal.”
The Roster of Philippine Legislators listed Jose Ma. Pidal Arroyo as a member of the Philippine Assembly from 1916-1919. He and his wife Jesusa had seven children, among them Ignacio Arroyo, father of the First Gentleman.
Lacson said he will refer his report on the accusations as well as “supporting documents” to the council so they can investigate his charges, while the Senate blue ribbon committee conducted its own probe into the matter.
He did not say when the documents and report will be sent to the council.
Entertainment
Presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said Lacson’s accusations had turned the Senate into “a parlor of entertainment,” adding that the opposition legislator had not presented any witnesses to bolster his charges.
“The President has more important things to do than deal with these desperate fairy tales,” Bunye said. “We will not be distracted by these political sideshows.”
Lacson has declared he intends to run for president in the 2004 elections.
Bunye hinted that Lacson’s new accusations were an attempt to divert attention away from charges that he was involved in the alleged killing of 11 suspected criminals in 1995.
Lacson was the national police chief under ex-president Joseph Estrada, who was ousted in 2001 and is being tried for charges of massive corruption. Estrada allegedly stashed funds in the “Jose Velarde” accounts. (AFP)
(August 20, 2003 issue)
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