Mike A’s godson: I saw him sign as Jose Pidal

Opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s principal witness against presidential husband Jose Miguel Arroyo is the First Gentleman’s own godson and former personal messenger.

The witness, Eugenio Mahusay Jr., came out in the open and gave a brief interview to reporters early last night, days before Lacson is expected to present him at the start of the Senate inquiry on Lacson’s accusations of corruption and money laundering against Mr. Arroyo.

Mahusay read a prepared statement in which he said he frequently saw Mr. Arroyo sign checks in the millions in front of him as Jose Pidal before asking him to encash the checks at the UnionBank branch not far from the Arroyos’ LTA Building on Perea street in Legaspi Village, Makati City.

Mahusay said as far as he could remember, the highest withdrawal or deposit was P5 million and the lowest was P500,000.

He said in some cases, he deposited large amounts of cash.

He said the First Gentleman also frequently asked him to deposit or withdraw millions from the accounts of the Arroyo couple’s Lualhati Foundation, Victoria Toh, her brother Thomas and her brother-in-law Kelvin Tan.

These accounts are also in UnionBank and in the nearby International Exchange Bank.

Mahusay listed the account numbers: 073-001283-9 for Lualhati Foundation, 073-001483-6 for Jose Pidal in UnionBank, 661-500497-7 for Jose Pidal in BPI Family Bank (Perea branch), 073-001820-9 for Victoria Toh, 073-001993-7 for Thomas Toh, and 073-001833-7 (UnionBank) and 041-02-0-0017020 (International Exchange Bank) for Tan.

The account holders have only one business address: 8th floor, LTA Building.

Lacson has claimed that Mr. Arroyo is using the accounts of Jose Pidal, the Tohs and Tan to hide illegal funds and that the LTA Building is a money machine and a place where shady deals are made and demolition jobs against enemies of the Arroyo administration are hatched.

Mahusay’s story is reminiscent of the testimony of Equitable PCI Bank vice president Clarissa Ocampo, star witness against ousted President Joseph Estrada in his aborted Senate impeachment trial.

Ocampo testified that she was just a foot away from Estrada when she saw him sign as Jose Velarde on bank documents at Malacañang.

The documents included signature cards and a management agreement for a P500-million investment the former president allegedly made in a company owned by then friend William Gatchalian, now a golfing crony of Mr. Arroyo.

Ocampo’s testimony was corroborated by a bank legal officer who accompanied her to Malacañang.

Mahusay told reporters that he is of legal age, married and a resident of Kaingin 1, Barangay Pansol, Quezon City, and that he came to know the Arroyo couple and their children when he served as Sangguniang Kabataan chairman of Pansol.

He said he frequented the Arroyo residence on 14 Badjao Street, La Vista, Quezon City.

On Sept. 14, 1997, he got married at the Sta. Maria dela Estrada Church along Katipunan avenue, not far from the Arroyo residence, with Mr. Arroyo and then Sen. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as sponsors. Then Quezon City Rep. Mike Defensor, now Mrs. Arroyo’s housing czar, was also a sponsor.

Mahusay said he worked for then Senator Arroyo as messenger at her Velco Center office in Port Area, Manila. In 1997, "Atty. Mike" transferred him to his office at 8th floor, LTA Building. He worked for him until March 2002.

Asked why he quit and why he is now telling on the First Gentleman, he told reporters that Mr. Arroyo suspected that he stole money of undetermined sum and a mobile phone from him.

"Pinagbintangan po akong magnanakaw: Gusto ko pong patunayan sa kanila, sa aking mga anak at sa aking pamilya na hindi ako magnanakaw," he said while in near tears and choking with emotion.

He said he was willing to undergo a lie detector test just to show that he is telling the truth.

The interview lasted no more than 10 minutes and was conducted at a safehouse in Makati.

Lacson has indicated that his second principal witness against Mr. Arroyo is also an "insider" like Mahusay.

In previous interviews, the opposition senator said his witnesses have decided to tell on the First Gentleman "because they could no longer stomach what is taking place at LTA."

He said his and their fight is against "corruption at the highest level of the government."