‘Mike A’s great grandma a Pidal’

The family tree betrays it all.

Opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson claimed yesterday the name Pidal was taken from the great great grandmother of First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo.

Lacson traced the roots of the Pidals and said the great great grandfather of Mr. Arroyo, Ignacio Arroyo, was married to Manuela Pidal.

The couple’s children were Mariano, Rosario, who became a nun, and Jose Maria Arroyo, the grandfather of the First Gentleman.

Lacson said Jose Ma. Arroyo was a mayor of Iloilo before he was elected senator from the seventh senatorial district of Iloilo, Capiz and Romblon in the Philippine Legislature from 1919 to 1922.

The elder Arroyo’s name was engraved in a commemorative plaque at the Senate displaying the list of senators who served during the commonwealth government of President Manuel L. Quezon.

"I heard that Mr. Mike has a grandfather named Jose Pidal Arroyo that we didn’t know of until last night (Monday) when an enterprising television network researched a family tree of the Arroyos," Lacson said.

Lacson said Mr. Arroyo might have adopted the name Pidal because "the subliminal mind always works that (way)... what ever thing come(s) first in your mind... will register in your mind and... will be the one you will use," Lacson said.

The other day, Lacson accused Mr. Arroyo of laundering more than P100 million, using the name of Jose Pidal, through dummy bank accounts.

Lacson said Mr. Arroyo, whom he referred to as the "Incredible Hulk," is keeping a bank account using the assumed name in the Urban Bank branch along Perea street in Legaspi Village in Makati City, not far from where President Arroyo’s husband holds office.

In a privileged speech Monday, Lacson claimed Mr. Arroyo is using his personal secretary Victory Toh, her brother-in-law Kelvin Tan, as well as the Arroyo’s Lualhati Foundations as "washing machines" to launder illegal funds.

Mr. Arroyo denied the accusations and expressed his willingness to appear before a congressional inquiry.

His camp later accused Lacson of inventing the name since the opposition senator knew all along that the First Gentleman has an ascendant with a Pidal surname.

"But this is not the case because we just learned about it (Monday night) that Mike Arroyo has a grandfather by name of Jose Ma. Pidal Arroyo," Lacson replied.

Lacson said the television report also showed the late Don Ignacio Arroyo and Doña Manuela Pidal Arroyo were active in charitable endeavors of helping the poor and the needy and a big donor of the Church.