MIKE ARROYO ON WIKILEAKS REPORT: RECYCLED ISSUES
[PHOTO - FORMER PRESIDENT & FORMER FG: GLORIA AND MIKE ARROYO]
MANILA, SEPTEMBER 6, 2011 (STAR) By Paolo Romero - Former first gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo dismissed yesterday as "recycled issues" his alleged involvement in smuggling and illegal gambling as claimed by some businessmen in a classified US diplomatic cable released by whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks.
"The attacks against me and the former president are indeed sounding more like a broken record as the issues raised are all recycled. The report quoted sources who have been openly critical of me and the former president. I was never involved in jueteng or smuggling," he said.
Arroyo said the accusations were "baseless and downright malicious."
"It's pure hearsay and not supported by evidence," he said, referring to the comments made by some business leaders as quoted by an official of the US embassy in Manila in a cable to then US charge d'affaires Joseph Mussomeli in 2005.
Then US embassy economic counselor Robert Ludan cited as sources in his cable several business leaders, including Washington Sycip, Francis Chua, president of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce, and Guillermo Luz, then executive director of the Makati Business Club.
The business leaders said Arroyo's links with jueteng operators and smuggling syndicates were undermining the country's democratic processes and economic outlook as well as the governance of his wife, now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
There was no immediate comment from Mrs. Arroyo, who is recuperating from her third spinal surgery in her residence in La Vista, Quezon City.
"I never got involved in jueteng because I know that was what brought former President (Joseph) Estrada down. I don't even know how to play jueteng. As to smuggling, why would I do that? I would never want to sabotage my wife's anti-corruption campaign," he said.
He reminded critics of the Arroyo family that during his wife's tenure, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) consistently met their targets, "which I could not say with the current administration."
"Neither the BIR nor the BOC have met their collection targets since the start of the Aquino administration. It is very disheartening that whenever the economy or the popularity of President Aquino goes down, like the recent disappointing GDP rate, it is almost always followed by an Arroyo bashing episode based on recycled issues," he said.
He said the issues against him had already been investigated and that he had already been cleared of all the accusations.
"Now they are bringing up the same issues. When will these stop? This administration and the Senate should do their jobs by concentrating on improving the lives of the Filipino people instead of engaging in never-ending persecution and character assassination," Arroyo said.
Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara said the government might want to sift through the thousands of WikiLeaks documents on the Philippines and see if there is anything that needs government action.
"There's an enormous amount of information there. Some allegations, some opinions, some may contain leads, it is up to the authorities if they wish to follow such leads, especially if they concern possible criminal behavior," Angara said.
"Some may be dead ends, some may lead to more valuable information. Intelligence and information-gathering departments can sort through these information and determine what may be useful to the government," he said.
Vice President Jejomar Binay said he was not surprised by a WikiLeaks report that the former president was aware of her husband's misdeeds but chose to ignore them.
"Balita ba yan? (Is that news?) Everybody knows it," Binay said in an ambush interview after a graduation ceremony at the National Defense College of the Philippines in Quezon City yesterday.
"Lumang tugtugin na yun (It's an old tune). It's impossible for her not to know her husband's activities. These are in the papers everyday," he added.
Binay said the investigations into Arroyo's illegal activities should continue. He said he supports calls for businessmen to reveal what they know about the previous administration's corrupt practices.
"We now have a President who has never been accused of (graft and corruption). That's a record," he said.
DOJ probe
The Department of Justice (DOJ), for its part, said it is ready to look into the allegations against Arroyo exposed by WikiLeaks.
But Justice Secretary Leila de Lima clarified that it would take a formal complaint or request for assistance from investigating agencies before the DOJ could make a move.
"I can definitely order the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) to look into that," she told reporters in an ambush interview.
"That's the role of DOJ. Of course, we will wait for the complaint and evaluate whether there's probable cause or not. There are cases where agencies would seek our assistance in evaluating cases before they are filed with us," she said.
De Lima said she would also welcome investigations by other bodies like the Philippine National Police or the Senate.
"We've been hearing a lot about the involvement of former FG in alleged anomalies... But they remain to be allegations, they remain to be information, that's why we have these venues where we can ferret out the truth," she said.
The DOJ chief said she believes an investigation into the allegations against the former first gentleman would prosper should the businessmen who made the allegations cooperate with authorities.
"We've been hearing certain allegations on smuggling - that his (Arroyo's) supposed associates or partners are involved in those illegal activities, but they remain to be allegations," she said.
"President Arroyo's husband, he claimed, is one of the worst offenders, with a reputation for corruption seeping down to all levels of society and eroding PGMA's political standing," the cable, marked "Confidential" read. The document is one of the tens of thousands made public by WikiLeaks.
According to the cable, Sycip told US embassy officials that Arroyo "is heavily involved in the illegal gambling or 'jueteng' networks and closely connected with major smuggling syndicates."
"President Arroyo, according to Sycip, is aware of her husband's misdeeds, but she is unwilling to do anything to curb his activities because he was instrumental in marshaling campaign donations and is now keeping those supporters in line to help her maintain her grip on power," the diplomatic cable read.
Meanwhile, the DOJ also asked the Supreme Court (SC) yesterday to junk the petition of Arroyo questioning the DOJ's placing him in the Bureau of Immigration (BI) watchlist in connection with his alleged involvement in the anomalous purchase of helicopters by the PNP in 2009.
In a five-page manifestation, the DOJ told the SC that the case should already be considered moot and academic since the DOJ had already lifted the watchlist order.
"With this development, respondents respectfully submit that this petition for certiorari and prohibition has been rendered moot and academic with the removal of petitioner's name from watchlist order No. 2011-410. As such, the petition should be dismissed forthwith," the DOJ said through the Office of the Solicitor General.
De Lima told reporters in an ambush interview that they felt it was no longer necessary to discuss the merits of the case.
"But it is up to the Supreme Court to decide if there is need to resolve the constitutional issues. If they order us to submit a comment on those issue, then we will comply," she said. - With Edu Punay and Alexis Romero
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