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Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Palace aide got P2M from Cebu solon
By Elias O. Baquero
CEBU CITY -- A former aide of an ex-presidential adviser on political affairs was "telling the truth" on the alleged payoff of poll officials at the house of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Representative Clavel Asas-Martinez said Monday, as she also experienced money changing hands.
Martinez, (Cebu, 4th district) revealed that she was asked to pay P4 million by Michaelangelo Zuce, who offered to help in their electoral protest in the 2004 gubernatorial polls.
She also said during a privilege speech at the House of Representatives Monday that Zuce had told her officers of the administration party could arrange for lawyers.
They eventually paid P2 million, said Martinez, whose husband, Celestino Martinez Jr., ran for Cebu governor last year.
Martinez also reiterated her allegations of cheating in the presidential elections in Cebu, a claim that House Deputy Speaker Raul del Mar (Cebu City, north) immediately denied.
In separate interviews, Representatives Nerissa Soon-Ruiz (Cebu, 6th district) and Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south) echoed del Mar's denial that he made also at the plenary session Monday.
Martinez gave a speech during the privilege hour as the House took up the impeachment complaint against President Arroyo, who is accused of electoral fraud in last year's polls and corruption over jueteng payoffs her family allegedly received.
Jueteng
Among Cebu's eight congressional members, Martinez is the only one who signed the complaint.
Martinez said she was able to monitor the Senate hearing on the illegal numbers game jueteng with Zuce as one of the witnesses and also the subsequent accusation of Mayor Abapo of Masbate that Zuce promised to help him in his electoral protest for a fee of P1.5 million, but nothing happened.
Zuce is a former staff member of former presidential adviser on political affairs Jose Ma. Rufino.
Martinez said that it then dawned on her that she and Mayor Abapo had the same experience.
Zuce told her they could help in the election protest the Martinezes filed in Manila, but it could cost P4 million. He reportedly asked for P2 million to mobilize lawyers and for other expenses.
One Bong Serrano of Lakas-CMD went to Cebu immediately thereafter to collect the amount, she said, but she was the one who delivered the money in Manila.
Martinez did not say, though, to whom she gave the money to.
She also admitted that she also spoke with Rufino, but was reportedly advised not to disclose the fact because Rufino is dying.
"I thought the truth lies on the lips of a dying man, but I realized it has not been so. So I feel that it is incumbent upon me to tell the truth and to inform the people that Zuce was in fact telling the truth," Martinez said.
"I feel that I have to say this or forever I hold my peace," she further said.
Rehash
Martinez then brought up cheating during the last presidential election in Cebu, insisting that it took place.
However, del Mar, Soon-Ruiz and Cuenco dismissed her allegations as a rehash of unfounded accusations.
Del Mar said that all of Cebu's eight House representatives, including Martinez, were one and united in condemning the allegation of cheating in Cebu when it first came up.
"Cebu City is one of the most peaceful cities in the Philippines and election was among the cleanest in the country. There was no fraud in the canvassing of the presidential votes," del Mar said during the privilege hour.
Martinez said as a rejoinder: "I don't deny (saying) that but I'm sorry I did."
Soon-Ruiz, for her part, maintained that there was no cheating in Cebu during the presidential elections.
"In fact (Ricardo Cardinal) Vidal came out with a statement nga way tikas sa Sugbo (there was no cheating in Cebu)," Soon-Ruiz said.
In a separate interview, Cuenco said he was with Martinez during the canvassing of national votes in Congress because he was a member of the canvassing committee and Martinez was his substitute. She also agreed then that there was no cheating, he said.
Cuenco said that when it's his turn to deliver a privilege speech, he will suggest that the Senate and the Lower House pass a law to recount the ballots.
He thinks a committee that will be created to conduct the recount can do it in three months.
"Cheating is the root cause of their complaint, so we will find out through the recount to end the argument once and for all and to remove doubts as to the real winner in the 2004 presidential elections," Cuenco said.
Sadness
In her speech, Martinez also revealed that Mario Espinosa, a former presidential assistant for Bicol and son of the late congressman Moises Espinosa, was prevailed upon by Malacañang to lie that he is not the jueteng bagman of First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo.
Moises and Representative Tito Espinosa (who presided over Monday's privilege hour) are brothers of Martinez's mother-in-law and uncles of her husband.
Moises was killed in an ambush in 1989 at the Masbate airport.
Martinez expressed sadness over Mario's alleged lies, especially since the Supreme Court acquitted the suspects in his father's murder, including Masbate Governor Antonio Kho.
"And then he (Mario) was prevailed upon to tell lies in the Senate hearing. He was called to Malacañang and in the presence of the President and the First Gentleman, he was prevailed upon to lie his having been a bagman for jueteng," she said. (Sun.Star Cebu/Sunnex)
(September 6, 2005 issue)
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