Fariñas denies asking Palace for party-list funding

Malacañang’s Office of the External Affairs (OEA) denied yesterday that it issued a memo asking for funding from the Palace for certain groups seeking party-list seats in the May 14 elections.

In a statement, OEA assistant secretary Marcelo Fariñas II, also secretary general of the Agbiag! Timpuyog Ilocano, a party-list group, said the purported document was fabricated.

Militant party-list groups led by the Gabriela Women’s party-list said they were furnished with a copy of a confidential memorandum from Fariñas seeking the funds for party-list groups fielded by the Palace to gain more seats in the House of Representatives and quell any new impeachment attempt against President Arroyo.

The so-called memorandum enumerated the plan of the OEA to interfere in the party-list elections and "frustrate" the grand plan of the left and the opposition to impeach the President.

Fariñas dared the Gabriela party-list group to make the charges formal so he can counter them with charges of fabrication of evidence and falsification of public documents.

"I could never issue such a document directly addressed to the President. I am just an underling at OEA," Fariñas said.

Fariñas said he is detailed under an undersecretary for external affairs and any memorandum is coursed through the undersecretary.

The overall OEA administrator is Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Gabriel Claudio and all communications for the President go through Claudio.

Fariñas said Agbiag! had been in existence since the mid-1980s and was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) way before he was appointed to the OEA.

He said Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) records will show that all the party-list nominees of this group are the original Agbiag! incorporators.

Fariñas also said he is not surprised that leftist organizations can "manufacture fake evidence," saying "concoctions and all forms of lies are character traits of leftist organizations. These machinations are part of their black propaganda efforts aimed at toppling the administration."