Fire ‘Million Dollar Man’ — Lawmaker

President Arroyo was urged yesterday to fire the "Million Dollar Man" in her Cabinet who allegedly extorted $2 million from a former crony of ousted President Joseph Estrada who is facing some problems with the government.

Rep. Willie Buyson Villarama (Aksyon Demokratiko, Bulacan) made the appeal in an interview on ABS-CBN’s Dong Puno Nightly. It was Villarama who last week exposed what he described as the "abominable and bottomless greed" of the still-unnamed Cabinet official.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) is initiating its own investigation on the controversial Cabinet official who allegedly received a $2 million bribe from a former Estrada crony.

PAGC Chairman Dario Rama has asked Villarama and opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson to furnish the commission pertinent documents related to the alleged bribery.

Villarama said he believes Mrs. Arroyo knows the Cabinet member he is referring to.

"The President does not need proof beyond reasonable doubt to fire Mr. Multi-Million Dollar Man. All she has to do is to use her sixth sense and get rid of all the corrupt officials around her. I would like to see the Iron Lady do that," he said.

The Bulacan congressman, who was Mrs. Arroyo’s chief of staff when she was vice president, reminded the President that she was swept to power on an anti-jueteng and anti-corruption stance.

"The public expects her administration to be above corruption. However, people perceive many of the officials around her as corrupt. No wonder we are ranked among the most corrupt nations. And since perception is reality, she has to let go of these officials," he said.

Villarama pointed out that in the case of the $2-million Cabinet member, based on the documents he has seen, he has no doubt that "this official is corrupt."

Villarama has not named the official, but opposition Lacson has claimed that Justice Secretary Hernando Perez is the Cabinet’s Million Dollar Man.

Perez has denied he is the mystery man, saying the allegation "is most unfair."

Lacson made a similar exposé last year, alleging that the justice secretary received $2 million of the $14-million payoff that an Argentinean firm gave some Arroyo administration officials in connection with the multimillion-dollar Caliraya-Botocan-Kalayaan power plant rehabilitation project.

Lacson and Villarama referred to the same bank account in which the $2 million allegedly ended up being deposited.

But Lacson made a further revelation: that the account belonged to a brother-in-law of Perez and that the money was intended for the justice secretary.

He also claimed the payoff was arranged by Manila Rep. Mark Jimenez, a former Estrada friend.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee has decided to investigate the Million Dollar Man in the Cabinet. Villarama said he would be glad to give the committee the two documents in his possession and other papers that he could get his hands on.

One of the documents is a deposit detail report made by the Trade and Commerce Bank (Uruguay) showing how a transfer of $1,999,965 was routed through the Cayman Islands and ended up in the Coutts Bank (Hong Kong) account associated with the unnamed Cabinet member.

The Trade and Commerce Bank report is dated Feb. 23, 2001, only about a month after Mrs. Arroyo took over from Estrada.

The other document is a deposit instruction purportedly coming from the official or the person who handled the money for him.

In a related development, Rep. Charity Leviste (Lakas, Mindoro Oriental) urged all Cabinet members and other officials to tender their courtesy resignations.

This would give the President a free hand in forming a new team that would help her run the government effectively and efficiently, Leviste said.

So far, only a few Cabinet members have turned in their courtesy resignations. – Sammy Santos