Drilon: No way out for Mike A

BY JP LOPEZ SEN. Franklin Drilon yesterday said former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo could not dispute that he owned two used helicopters which were sold to the PNP as brand new in 2009. Drilon said the testimonies of Lionair Inc. president Archibald Po, Manila Aerospace Products Trading (Maptra) president Hilario de Vera, and police officials involved in the chopper fiasco are enough to prove that Mike Arroyo should be charged. "In my view, there is no way that Mike Arroyo could disprove the fact that he was the real owner of the choppers. If he would insist that he disowns the choppers, then he should execute an affidavit holding Archibald Po and Lionair free and harmless of any liability in the event that Mr. Po donates the helicopters to the PNP," he said in an interview with radio station dzBB. "Yung pag-aari ni Mike Arroyo, sa palagay ko beyond reasonable doubt, naipakita na siya ang may-ari," he added. Lionair Inc. is the registered owner of the choppers while Maptra is Lionairs agent that sold the choppers to the PNP. Drilon said Arroyo tricked Po into signing a blank deed of sale to make it appear that the helicopters were sold to "Juan dela Cruz" so that he could evade prosecution. He said he would ask the Senate to summon the notary public and ask if Po was present when he notarized the deed of sale. "Kaya iyan po, sa aking tingin, ang magiging depensa ni Mike Arroyo na hindi siya ang may-ari dahil nailagay sa pangalan ng sinuman na may hawak ng blank deed of sale," he said. Drilon said Arroyos office paid the hangar and maintenance fees for the choppers. "Ang ebidensya dito ay malakas: Nangongolekta ang accountant ni Archibald Po, pumupunta sa LTA Bldg. She identified kung sino ang nagbibigay sa kanya ng pera. Kaya all of these circumstances, nagpapakita na talagang pag-aari ito ni Mike Arroyo sinuman ang registered owner, kahit pa pangalan ng Lionair or Juan dela Cruz," he said. During the Senate Blue Ribbon investigation, Drilon noted the collusion of officials with Arroyo to "tailor fit" the technical characteristics of the aircraft -- two Robinson R44 Raven 1 helicopters to the choppers needed by the PNP Special Action Force. He said he would ask the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to summon former Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno to explain why the specifications of the helicopters were changed to fit the specs of Arroyos choppers.

"Kung sa tahi ng barong, tamang-tama ang tahi sa katawan ng helicopter ni Mike Arroyo," he added. He told PNP officials involved in the negotiations to tell the truth, as they could be equally guilty for a graft case and conspiracy "to enter into a contract that is grossly disadvantageous to the government."

PNP officers in choppers fiasco sacked

abs-cbnNEWS.com Posted at 08/26/2011 4:29 PM | Updated as of 08/26/2011 6:33 PM MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine National Police on Friday discharged several officers involved in the choppers fiasco, among them the head of the PNP's bids and awards committee Director George Piano. The policemen are being investigated for the questionable purchase of 2 helicopters in 2009. The used choppers were allegedly owned by former First Gentleman Mike Arroyo but were passed off as brand new to the PNP. On Thursday, PNP Chief Director General Raul Bacalzo said the PNP's fact-finding team has recommended filing charges against 27 people from the Bids and Awards Committee, Negotiation Team, and Inspection and Acceptance Team who played key roles in the purchase of the second-hand helicopters passed off as brand new. Aside from them, charges will also likely be filed against officials of chopper supplier Manila Aerospace Products Trading (MAPTRA) and distributor Lionair Inc., according to Chief Supt. Samuel Pagdilao of the PNP's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group. Pagdilao refused to name other people who will be included in the charge sheet because the investigation has yet to finish, but agreed with Sen. Panfilo Lacson that "there are indications of conspiracy" in the anomaly. Report from ANC

Drilon says raps set vs Mike, Iggy et al in chopper fiasco

MANILA, Philippines - (UPDATED: 4:03 P.M.) Separate charges against businessman Jose Miguel Mike Arroyo, Rep. Ignacio Iggy Arroyo and others involved in the helicopter scandal are now being finalized by the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, Senator Franklin Drilon said Sunday. This developed as Drilon, a member of the committee investigating the anomalous sale of preowned helicopters, broadly hinted that the Philippine National Police hastily filed before the

Office of the Ombudsman plunder charges against Mike Arroyo and others to prevent the Senate from ferreting out the truth, as police officials invited to the Senate probe may invoke the right against self-incrimination by citing pending cases. This is like a legal gag order which is being deliberately done because the Senate cannot compel the PNP officials to speak if they appear before the Senate again. This is a shotgun approach, said Drilon. Still, he added, That would not prevent us from filing separate cases against those involved. Palace on case: Nothing personal Meanwhile, Malacaang on Sunday said there was nothing personal in the filing of plunder charges against Jose Miguel Arroyo over his alleged involvement in the anomalous purchase of helicopters by the PNP. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the PNP went through the process of investigating the questionable transaction before filing appropriate charges against those who were reportedly involved in the sale, including Arroyo. She said Mr. Arroyo should take the opportunity to defend himself and clear his name before Ombudsman. "Certainly the former First Gentleman will be given his day in court. He will be given the opportunity to defend himself especially as the case is now with the Office of the Ombudsman, Valte said. Police Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr., head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, said the charges stemmed from the alleged sale of two supposedly Arroyo-owned helicopters to the PNP as brand new in 2009. Arroyo, husband of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo, has since denied ownership of the helicopters. Former police officials, including ex-PNP chief Jesus Verzosa, were also included in the plunder raps. Other respondents include former Interior and Local Government secretary Ronaldo Puno, Manila Aerospace Products Trading Corp. president Hilario de Vera, LionAir Inc. head Archibald Po and Renato Sia of Asian Spirit. Po and De Vera, who tagged Arroyo as the owner of the choppers during a Senate inquiry, reportedly hatched the plan to pass the old helicopters as brand new to the PNP, Pagdilao said. Blue Ribbon still studying charges

Meanwhile, the Blue Ribbon panel, Senator Drilon said, is still in the process of determining if plunder or antigraft charges will be pressed against the former First Gentleman, who appeared to be the real owner of two Robinson R-44 Raven 1 choppers sold to the PNP as brand new. The charges eyed by the Blue Ribbon against Negros Occidental Rep. Iggy Arroyo stem from his being an accessory to the crime, as he insisted that the choppers had been leased to the Arroyo family-owned LTA Inc., Drilon added. Congressman Iggy Arroyo is really part of the cover-up operation. He is an accessory to the crime, said Drilon. The Arroyos former bookkeeper Rowena del Rosario, who was cited in contempt by the Senate and detained, will also face perjury raps for trying to protect her principals and for evasively answering questions from Senate probers, said Drilon. The Senate panel will also file a disbarment case against lawyer Lope Velasco, who supposedly notarized the lease agreement between LTA Inc. and Lionair Inc.

Drilon: Iggy's evidence on chopper fiasco 'bogus'

MANILA, Philippines - Senator Franklin Drilon Thursday said the lease agreement presented by Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio Iggy Arroyo as evidence to counter allegations that his brother former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Mike Arroyo did not own two used choppers which were sold to the Philippine National Police as brand new units appears to be spurious. Drilon, a member of the Blue Ribbon committee investigating the chopper fiasco, joined other Senate probers in rejecting Iggy Arroyos claim that the second-hand helicopters had been leased to the Arroyo family-owned LTA Inc. It is on my view that the lease agreement entered into by Iggy Arroyo and Lionair is a contrived lease agreement. It was invented as cover-up and the lease agreement was not really intended to govern the relationship between the lessor, Lionair, and the lessee, allegedly LTA Inc., Drilon said in a statement. Drilon said that under the terms of the lease agreement, the minimum payment for the use of helicopters for two months is P9.8 million, whether LTA, as a lessee, will use the helicopters or not. I challenge Iggy Arroyo to produce the cheque to show payment of P9.8 million to Lionair or any piece of evidence that would show that he paid Lionair P9.8 million. There was no payment, which means that this lease agreement was never effective and was only resorted to to shore up the allegation, futile as it is, that Lionair is the owner, said Drilon.

According to Drilon, the signature of Lionair corporate secretary Renato Sia is doubtful because it appears only in the last page and the other pages were not signed. Drilon also noted an apparent inconsistency in the lease agreement supposedly signed between LTA and Lionair, wherein it was indicated that the residence certificate of Sia is dated April 2, 2004, whereas the notarized agreement was dated March 16, 2004. The flight log indicated that the choppers took off and landed in Malacanang, said Drilon. The senator earlier questioned the PNP Uniform and Equipment Standardization Board and the National Police Commission, then headed by former Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, as to the reason why alterations to the specifications have to be made to make it appear that the PNP needed Mike Arroyos Raven 1 choppers for the operation of the elite Special Action Force. Further evidence, as testified by Lionair collections agent Edith Solano-Juguan that she was collecting maintenenace fees that Lionair charged to LTA Inc. would cement the fact that Arroyo owned the choppers. Solano-Juguan said that she would go to LTA Bldg. in Makati City to collect the monthly maintenance fees. Domingo Lazo, former Lionair flight dispatcher, earlier told senators that from March 2004 until he resigned from the company in June 2009, Mike Arroyo would instruct him as to when any member of the First family, including him, would use the choppers. All of these would really show beyond reasonable doubt that it is Mike Arroyo who is the owner. Unfortunately, in their desperation to invent the evidence and to rebut this very strong circumstantial evidence that the helicopters were purchased by Mike Arroyo, they come up with a spurious, contrived lease agreement which will not fly, Drilon added.