Rep. Iggy Arroyo invokes “inter-parliamentary courtesy” to evade today’s Senate hearing on the chopper scam. Allegedly it’s unseemly for one chamber of Congress to summon members of the other to separate, co-equal proceedings.
Yet, it was Iggy who broke legislature civility to begin with. There was a very public Senate inquiry into the fraudulent sale in 2009 of his brother then-first gentleman Mike’s two used helicopters as brand new to the police. Mike even made hoopla of suing Senate witness Archibald Po for perjury, in testifying that he originally had bought five aircraft in 2004. Mike’s main evidence was a lease, not purchase, of five choppers by his LTA Inc., through its president Iggy, from Po’s LionAir. Badly for Mike, a STAR column exposed the “lease” as bogus.
And then Iggy discourteously interloped. Malingering in London, he had his lawyer twit Po for incriminating his brother. It was improper. Observing tradition he could have written the Senate to explain the lease. Instead he went to the media. It was the second time Iggy came to Mike’s rescue. The first was in 2003 when, not yet a congressman, he feigned to be the true owner of Mike’s “Jose Pidal” alias bank account. He did not show up at the Senate inquiry at the time either, crying right to privacy.
Having dove into the fray, Iggy politely was invited to confront Po under oath. Senators said he could bring proof of the P9.8-million lease — receipts, returned checks, etc. — to belie the accuser. Again uncivilly he chose not to write the Senate but, through his lawyer, invented illness. He also pictured his fellow-lawmakers to be biased against Mike.
Senate Blue Ribbon Committee head Teofisto Guingona III could only shrug. Aside from Iggy’s “lease”, he pointed out, Mike in suing Po had given the court Senate transcripts and submissions three inches thick. In effect the brothers Arroyo are using Senate documents against Po, yet they have the audacity to call the senators prejudiced.
Both Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and House Speaker Sonny Belmonte advise Iggy voluntarily to appear today, for Mike’s own good. If he doesn’t, he and Mike lose by default the chance to clear their names.
The Senate physician will report today if Mike too is malingering. Based on this, Guingona said, the senators might cause his arrest or excuse him till he’s better. Whatever, the Senate may ask the court for a hold-departure order.
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The STAR’s first blast last Monday at fakery in Iggy’s “lease” was about the notarization. Atty. Lope M. Velasco had notarized the contract on March 16, 2004. But the identifying cedula of LionAir’s Renato Sia — 10579800F issued in Pasay City — was dated April 2, 2004. How could Velasco have listed a cedula that Sia had yet to get two weeks later?
When the story broke Iggy through lawyer distributed to the press a “correction” by Velasco. Supposedly there was a typo: Sia’s cedula date should be March 2, not April 2, 2004. Why the entry was being rectified only seven years later, neither Velasco nor Iggy’s lawyer explained.
Meanwhile, Pasay treasurer’s office insiders aver that they never issued in 2004 any cedula of the series 10579800F. Senators must get a certification to that effect.
Worse, there’s no proof that the notarizing ever took place. For, on January 18, 2008, something happened. Velasco executed an oath that he had lost all his notarial records for 2004-2005, before he could submit it to the Makati regional trial court as required. Based on this, therefore, there was no way for Velasco to “correct” any 2004-2005 entry. He has no master file as basis. Mike and Iggy’s lease truly is counterfeit. Will Chief Justice Renato Corona deign to investigate this, since the Supreme Court is the maker of notary rules and keeper of its integrity?
Velasco’s “Affidavit of Loss” states that he was a commissioned Notary Public for Makati in January 2004-December 2005. In the first week of January 2006 he already had prepared to submit his Notary Registry to the Makati court. But his law office on 2118 Pasong Tamo corner dela Rosa Streets was broken into. Stolen was a box containing “my Law books, my said notarial books and documents ... and office equipment,” he swore, “and remain missing un-recovered to this date.”
Velasco stated that his clerk had reported the incident to barangay authorities, but efforts to identify the burglars “proved fruitless.” He concluded: “The chances of finding my missing Notarial Registry and documents (and) office records now appear hopeless. I declare and certify the truth of the foregoing for whatever legal purpose same may serve.” Atty. Fidel Evano of Makati notarized the affidavit of Velasco, who then filed it with Feliciana C. Servidad, Makati court notary section.
Could Velasco’s signature have been forged in notarizing Mike and Iggy’s “lease”? This chopper scam inquiry is turning up more and more related scams.
Most damning of course are the inconsistencies of documents that the Arroyos themselves wave in court and the media. Like, the “lease”, dated March 16, 2004, lists the Robinson manufacturer serial numbers and government licenses of five helicopters. Customs records show that the aircraft arrived from California in three batches: on March 12, 17 and 24, 2004. Air Transport Office records show that the same were registered on March 16, 23, and 30, 2004. How could Mike and Iggy have divined on March 16 the serial and license numbers of units that had yet to be uncrated and registered?
Perhaps when they concoct an answer to that question, they will show up at the Senate.
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