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Saturday, August 23, 2003
Pidal, Arroyo signatures differ: expert
By Miko Santos
MANILA -- First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo's signature reportedly does not match that of Jose Pidal, the name of one of the bank accounts allegedly used by the President's husband to launder millions of pesos in illegal funds.
There are at least seven points of divergence or dissimilarities between the two signatures, the findings of Dr. Mely Sora, PNP crime laboratory graphologist or handwriting expert, showed.
The police came out with the result a few hours after Mike Arroyo's lawyers asked them on Friday to examine and compare the signatures of the President's husband and Jose Pidal.
Patricia Bunye-Roxas, one of Mike Arroyo's lawyers, brought the signature specimens to the police headquarters in Camp Crame Friday morning to disprove Sen. Panfilo Lacson's allegations that her client stashed away part of P271 million in supposed campaign and illegal funds under a Jose Pidal bank account.
She said the findings of the handwriting expert are the latest blow to Lacson's accusations against Mike Arroyo.
"In plain language, the alleged 'Jose Pidal' signature was not signed by Mike Arroyo. Thus, we can dismiss as utterly false and malicious the insinuations made by Senator Lacson that Mike Arroyo and the 'Jose Pidal' mentioned in his privilege speech are one and the same person," Bunye-Roxas stressed.
Handwriting differences
In her findings, Sora said the curvature of the upper case letter "J" in Pidal's signature was narrow and had broken, lower junction connecting strokes.
Other differences noted by Sora in her examination of the handwritings of Arroyo and Pidal:
* The "oval" of the capital letter "J" in Jose of Arroyo and Pidal. Pidal's oval stroke in his "J" was bigger compared to Arroyo's "J."
* The "continuity" of the upper stroke in the letter "o." Pidal's "o" was broken while Arroyo's stroke on the same letter was straight.
* The "connecting strokes" between the letters. "Pidal's" strokes were higher than the ones made by Arroyo.
* The "opening" of the letter "o". Pidal's "o" was written over the letter "J" while Arroyo's "o" was written from below.
* The connecting strokes between the small letter "s."
* How the small letter "e" was written.
* The "terminal stroke" on the small letter "e".
Welcome development
Roxas said Lacson is wasting his time and even ruining his credibility by coming up with the false accusations now being refuted by the PNP finding and the Bank of the Philippine Islands certification that they have no account under the name of Mike Arroyo or Jose Pidal.
"We welcome this development. The case of Senator Lacson is unraveling or falling apart," she added.
In a privileged speech Monday, Lacson claimed that Mike Arroyo deposited P200 million, proceeds from alleged anomalous deals, in a Union Bank account using the fictitious name Jose Pidal.
He further alleged that Mike Arroyo amassed millions of pesos since his wife, President Arroyo, became vice president of the Philippines in 1998.
Bunye-Roxas said the other persons named by Lacson in his privileged speech have started to come out and explain there was nothing dubious about their visits to the Lourdes Tuason-Arroyo Building in Legaspi Village, Makati City.
She said they regret that Lacson had to air his "baseless allegations" in the form of a privileged speech but continue to reiterate their challenge for him to go to court and file the appropriate charges if he has hard evidence to support his claim.
Won't interfere
President Arroyo's spokesman Ignacio Bunye reiterated Friday that she would not interfere in any investigation to be conducted on her husband or use her power to influence any case that may be filed against him.
Bunye said the President would not violate the "line" she herself put up between her private life and official function.
"The President will not extend any mantle of protection to the First Gentleman, nor any member of the family na maari pong humarap sa ganitong kaso (that may face a similar case)," he said in a radio interview.
He added that President Arroyo would rather concentrate on her job and let her husband answer the controversy hounding him, something which he is very capable of doing.
Bunye also said the recent decision of a court based in the United States directing Lacson to pay a private supply firm with money he maintains in the US only proves the existence of the senator's dollar accounts abroad.
"Pinapanagot si Senator Lacson doon sa kanyang obligasyon sa isang hindi natuloy na supply contract at mukhang pinapanagot iyun sa kanya pong mga deposits doon sa Estados Unidos at mukhang base po dito sa kaso na ito ay kunumpirma na talagang meron pong US deposits si Senator Ping Lacson," he said. (Lacson is being asked to pay for his obligations in a contract that did not push through and it looks as if they want him to pay using his dollar deposits. This confirms he has deposits in the US).
(August 23, 2003 issue)
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