Nothing to hide in BIR probe - Dato

MANILA, Philippines - Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado “Dato” Arroyo said yesterday he was not afraid of the plan of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to dig into his assets for possible tax evasion, even as he hit the Aquino administration for its “selective persecution” of those identified with the previous administration.

The son of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was commenting on reports that the BIR sought the assistance of the House of Representatives in securing a copy of his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN).

Last month, BIR Commissioner Kim Henares slapped a P73-million tax evasion complaint against Dato’s elder brother, Ang Galing Pinoy party-list Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo and his wife Angela, for allegedly failing to declare some of their assets in the country and in the United States.

“They are free to conduct an inquiry on my SALN. I have nothing to hide. I hope, however, that this is a regular exercise of BIR’s mandate and not just another tactic of Malacañang to divert the people’s attention from the real state of our country by going after those associated with the previous administration,” Arroyo said.

He said he has no issue with the move of the BIR to write House Secretary-General Marilyn Barua-Yap asking for a copy of the SALN as he has “nothing to hide.”

He maintained that his SALN has been religiously updated and submitted, and he would welcome and cooperate with any BIR inquiry on his wealth as long as the probe will not be used as another means to malign him and his family.

“But that is not the issue. The issue is the seemingly very selective persecution of anyone associated with the previous administration – and the use of the government’s precious man hours and resources to this end – at a time when our country is suffering from the effects of the Middle East problems, the rising figures of self-rated hunger, worsening unemployment, the rising cost not only of gas but of all commodities, which was validated by a recent Wall Street Journal report which placed the Philippines as Asia’s leader in terms of food inflation,” Arroyo said.

He also cited the recent global reports showing that the country’s corruption index increased under the Aquino administration.

Arroyo noted that in the BIR’s letter to Congress, the agency only named him and his brother as the ones being sought for their SALN in previous years and “this alone indicates malicious and partisan motivation on the part of the BIR.”

He said the assertions of the officials of the administration that they are not singling out the Arroyos and other former officials are apparently false as they are not as determined in investigating members of the majority bloc in the House or Cabinet members.

“If the government is really serious about this (anti-corruption campaign), then maybe they should examine not just the opposition but also their allies – all of them,” Arroyo said. “Otherwise, they should shift their focus on all the very real problems facing our country now, instead of going on a witch hunt in an obvious effort to steer the headlines away from the very clear and dangerous indicators that our beloved country is falling apart,” he added.

Yap, however, said the BIR also earlier requested for the SALN of Bulacan Rep. Linabelle Villarica and world boxing champion and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao.

A VERA Files report said Mikey and Dato were found to have acquired houses in the US and local business interests after winning in the congressional elections.