Mikey’s friends file libel raps vs witness

Coming to the rescue of embattled Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo, three of his friends yesterday initiated a slew of libel suits against confessed jueteng operator Wilfredo Mayor before the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The libel suits come after Mayor’s testimony before the Senate in which he linked Arroyo along with other lawmakers, friends and other persons to illegal gambling payoffs.

In their libel complaint, Rene Maglanque, Leon Katigbak and former Minalin, Pampanga vice mayor Arturo Lopez Naguit claimed Mayor’s allegations against the Pampanga lawmaker are part of a "demolition job" against his mother President Arroyo and her administration.

"I am a friend of Mikey. I have nothing to do with jueteng. This is a demolition job against Mikey and the Arroyo administration," Maglanque said.

Maglanque, a civil engineer and former assistant secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) who was once a Pampanga provincial board member, said Mayor’s testimony linking him to jueteng payola destroyed his name and reputation.

"I filed the charges to clear my name. I do not know Mayor and I only saw him on television while he was testifying on jueteng in the Senate. I have never met him personally," Maglanque said.

Maglanque’s counsel Edna Batacan said Mayor is criminally liable "because he gave false testimony under oath" before the Senate inquiry last Monday.

Batacan pointed out the immunity clause for witnesses appearing before the
Senate hearing was violated by the false testimony given by Mayor.

Maglanque said Arroyo called him up to inform him that he was mentioned by Mayor as among the alleged jueteng bagmen during the Senate hearing last Monday.

Mayor had testified that Maglanque along with Katigbak and Naguit met him at the Hotel Rembrandt in Quezon City.

Mayor said Naguit had informed him that P600,000 was to be remitted to Arroyo supposedly as part of "protection money for jueteng operations in Baguio City."

"I categorically state that the foregoing testimony of Mayor is absolutely false. In truth, I have never met Mayor in my entire life and I have never attended any meeting with Mayor at Hotel Rembrandt," Maglanque said.

"I also have no knowledge whatsoever regarding jueteng or any of its operations," he added.

The only "plausible explanation" for linking him to the jueteng scandal, Maglanque said, was that Mayor knew him to be a close friend of Arroyo.

Maglanque pointed out Mayor could be criminally liable for making false statements under oath during the Senate hearing.

Katigbak, for his part, also denied Mayor’s allegations that he was among those at the Hotel Rembrandt meeting.

Katigbak also said he had received calls from colleagues about the Senate hearing in which his name was mentioned.

Katigbak said he had always been a law-abiding citizen engaged in a legitimate profession as a stockbroker for the past eight years.

"I have never been involved, much less participated, in any illegal activity such as jueteng. It is obvious that respondent Mayor’s sole intention in mentioning my name in his testimony is to implicate Rep. Arroyo, who happens to be a close friend, to jueteng for political purposes and for his own personal gain," Katigbak said.

Katigbak also claimed Mayor committed perjury by lying under oath.

"In fact, respondent Mayor has utterly failed to substantiate any of his claims which only underscores the utter falsity and vacuity of his allegations," he said.

Along with Arroyo, Mayor had tagged Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Arturo Lomibao, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda and former Albay congresswoman Krisel Lagman-Luistro among those receiving monthly jueteng payola.

Arroyo had said Mayor spouted a raft of fabricated stories to drag him into the controversy.

Naguit, for his part, claimed he learned over the radio that he was among those being implicated.

Mayor named Naguit as the supposed bagman of Arroyo who was then vice governor of Pampanga.

Naguit, former vice mayor of Minalin, Pampanga, also said that Mayor’s allegations "are entirely fabricated."

"From what I recall, I came to know Mayor sometime in 2002, when he proposed to me a business involving the scrap materials in the power plant located in the Clark Special Economic Zone," he said.

Naguit added Mayor even proposed certain construction work for Minalin, Pampanga during his term as vice mayor of the town. "These transactions, however, did not push through," he said.

Naguit claimed Mayor was attempting to connect him and Arroyo in the jueteng scandal since they are prominent political leaders in Pampanga.

"Mayor’s statements maliciously imputed the commission of a crime and vice to me without offering even a scintilla of proof," he said.

The Shield

On the other hand, Arroyo’s colleagues at the House of Representatives are exerting efforts to shield the Pampanga lawmaker from appearing before the Senate.

Invoking "inter-chamber courtesy" and co-equal status" of the Senate and the House, Deputy Speaker for Mindanao Gerry Salapuddin (Basilan) and Majority Leader Prospero Nograles (Davao City) said the senators cannot compel Arroyo to appear and testify.

"He (Arroyo) should not testify, even if he is willing to, as this would set a bad precedent," the two congressmen said in a statement.

"If there is any accusation against Rep. Arroyo, this should be made in the House so he can be probed by the House ethics committee," they said.

Arroyo earlier said he was willing to appear before the Senate hearing provided he was given an advance copy of the questions he would be asked.

His uncle, Negros Occidental Rep. Jose Ignacio "Iggy" Arroyo, also declared his willingness to appear before the Senate.

Other administration congressmen exploited the report quoting a law enforcement official as saying that a certain lawmaker paid Mayor to link the Arroyos and other administration officials to jueteng and discredit them before the Senate.

Isabela Rep. Edwin Uy and Leyte Rep. Eduardo Veloso also issued a joint statement claiming the reports pointing to Mayor as a paid hack validate other reports that opposition personalities are using the jueteng issue for destabilization.

Uy said Mayor’s dubious role in the Senate hearing should serve as a warning to jueteng whistle-blower Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz.

Cruz had presented Mayor before the Senate hearing and declared he would present another witness next Monday.

"We believe that Bishop Cruz is sincere in his crusade and we support him. But we urge him to be very careful because unwittingly, he might be used by politicians to discredit the Arroyo family and administration," Uy said.

Veloso said the report calling Mayor a paid hack "raised more questions about his credibility as a witness."

Meanwhile, Malacañang warned critics against threatening the witnesses appearing before the Senate.

The Palace particularly mentioned Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez to tone down his statements against Mayor and other witnesses lest the administration be accused of threatening them.

"So in all seriousness I will really tell the (Justice) Secretary this issue has come up especially invoking the statements made by some senators so that he will be conscious on how to handle these whistle-blowers so that his actions will not be misunderstood as trying to muzzle them," Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said.

Ermita said the reminder is necessary to prevent public misconceptions that the administration is being biased and that Gonzalez is harassing the witnesses.

Ermita said it was not the intention of Gonzalez to harass the so-called whistle-blowers, since he was also aware of the implications of their statements.

"I have to tell him that this thing came up and you’re conscious of it because we want to remove the bias," Ermita said.

"The impression seems to be that just because he’s in the Cabinet therefore he seems to have received instructions to squeeze something from these people and prevent them from revealing more," he said.

Ermita said the testimony of Mayor could be part of "the other issues made to bear upon the administration because the subjects of the inquiry happened to involve persons close to national leadership." - With reports from Paolo Romero, Christina Mendez