Senate recommends graft raps vs Mike A over helicopters

MANILA, Philippines - The Senate Blue Ribbon committee has recommended the filing of charges against former first gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo and his brother, Rep. Ignacio Arroyo, and top police officials in connection with the alleged anomalous procurement of helicopters worth P105 million in 2009.

Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, said a majority of the senators have signed the committee report, which also recommended that top police officials led by former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Jesus Verzosa be charged.

Guingona said the Arroyo brothers will be facing possible violation of Republic Act 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Former PNP chief and now Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the committee has established that Mike Arroyo was the real owner of the two choppers passed off as brand new to the PNP.

Graft charges will also be filed against certain officials such as members of the PNP inspection team, and the PNP Bids and Awards committee.

Guingona is expected to make public the results of the Senate findings today at a press conference, before Senators Lacson and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III accompany him to the Ombudsman to formally file the charges.

“They (Ombudsman) can choose to adopt or even make their own recommendation. It is purely recommendatory,” Guingona said in an interview.

Lacson believes that the Senate case “is stronger in the sense since we believe that plunder is not a tight case,” referring to the case filed by the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

“So we want it covered by way of filing anti-graft case or cases versus those we believe are responsible,” he said.

Ignacio Arroyo was recommended for graft apparently after he public admitted that he merely borrowed the choppers from Lion Air, which some senators found to be a strategy to muddle the Senate investigation and to cover up for his elder brother.

Lion Air Inc. president Archibald Po and Manila Aerospace Products Trading (Maptra)’s Hilario de Vera, who testified before the Senate hearings, will likely be spared from any charges since they have been placed under the Witness Protection Program.

The Senate gave weight to the two traders’ testimonies, which were backed up by the revelations of their staff members as well as former Lion Air pilots who also bolstered the claim that the two Raven helicopters sold to the PNP were second-hand, not brand new as it was made to appear in the documents.

Guingona said the Senate’s filing of charges is not prejudicial to the plunder charges filed early this month by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) against Mike Arroyo.

“We’re filing a separate case and it’s up to the Ombudsman to consolidate all these complaints in their own findings and appreciation on what to file as an information at the Sandiganbayan,” Lacson said.

Long list of respondents

The CIDG had earlier filed plunder raps with predicate crime against the former first gentleman and other conspirators involved in the 2009 spurious procurement of Robinsons R44 Raven 1 helicopters at the Office of the Ombudsman.

CIDG chief, Police Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr. said that after the approval of then PNP chief Director General Raul Bacalzo of the recommendation, the CIDG’s Anti-Fraud and Commercial Crimes Division (AFCCD) looking into the anomalous purchase of three Light Police Operational Helicopters (LPOH) has charged 26 respondents, including former and present high ranking officials of the PNP and private individuals.

Among the former PNP officials that the CIDG has charged with plunder raps were former PNP chief, retired Police Director General Jesus Verzosa; former PNP deputy chief for operations, retired Police Deputy Director General Jefferson Soriano; former director for comptrollership, retired Director Romeo Hilomen; former director for logistics, retired Director Luizo Ticman; and former director for Research Division, retired Director Ronald Roderos.

Also included in the plunder case were active officials of the PNP, including Director Leocadio Santiago Jr., Director George Piano, Police Chief Superintendent Herold Ubalde, and Police Senior Superintendent Lurimen Detran.

Private individuals who were also charged along with the said PNP officials were former Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno, former NAPOLCOM Staff Service Chief of Installation and Logistic Service Conrado Sumanga Jr., Hilario de Vera, president of Manila Aerospace Products Trading Inc. (MAPTRA), Archibald Po, director of Asian Spirit Inc., Renato Sia, also of Asian Spirit, and former first gentleman MikeArroyo, the alleged owner of the two helicopters.