From the Malaya:
TAGUIG-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano yesterday brushed aside Palace demands for an apology, saying it should instead be President Arroyo who should say sorry "for cheating, lying and stealing the (2004) elections."
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye has demanded from Cayetano a "full and unconditional retraction" and a "public apology to the first family" after the latter accused the Arroyos of maintaining an account with a German bank.
"If that is not forthcoming, the proper charges shall be filed and full justice and retribution shall be sought for the damage done," Bunye added.
Cayetano on Friday said a bank deposit was traced to members of Arroyo’s family in Hypo-und Vereinsbank in Munich, Germany, under account No. 87570-23030-32100-6271-571. He said the documents on the deposit are contained in one of the seven boxes of evidence on the impeachment complaint, which the President’s allies in the House refused to open.
Opposition sources said the documents showed movements of unusually huge amounts of money to the German bank through a member of an armed department of government closely identified with "an immediate member" of the Arroyo family. The amount allegedly involved is in the range of $500 million.
Although he was not named by Cayetano, Rep. Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo (Lakas, Pampanga) last Friday denied the allegation. "Haka-haka lamang yan," he told a radio interview. "These allegations are just mudslinging tactics," he said.
Cayetano said in a radio interview: "This is not a wild goose chase because, one, there is an account number and, two, this has been going around in official circles. This is being investigated and is going around not only locally but internationally. So, I’m just giving them the opportunity to clear themselves."
Hypo-und Vereinsbank (HVB Group) is Germany’s second largest bank after Deutsche Bank. It operates 2,000 branches in more than 40 countries in Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Germany, which is part of the global anti-money laundering network, requires reporting of deposits amounting to 15,000 euros or more. (A euro is equivalent to P65.93).
Cayetano dismissed the challenge of First Gentleman Mike Arroyo to accompany him to Germany to claim the account.
"Dapat sumagot sila (Arroyos). Dalawa lang ang paraan para malaman ang totoo dito. Una ay ituloy dapat ang impeachment. Ang ikalawa ay ang ginawa ni Sen. Panfilo Lacson na pumirma ng waiver upang mabuksan ang ano mang bank account na mai-uugnay sa kanya," he said.
"We can start with the one in Perea street in Makati," Cayetano, said referring to a deposit at the BPI-Family Bank in the Makati-Perea branch under account No. 661-5-00497-7 under the name of Jose Pidal.
More from Ellen Tordesillas:
Gloria Arroyo must be feeling the noose tightening around her neck.
It showed in the statement her spokesman issued last Saturday threatening Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano “full retribution” if he did not retract his exposé that some “immediate members” of her family maintain a bank account in Hypo- und Vereinsbank in Munich.
Bunye demanded a public apology from Cayetano to which the young congressman from Taguig-Pateros replied: “You should be the one to apologize to the Filipino public for cheating, lying, and stealing.”
Cayetano said the information he has about the German account is in a document inside the boxes that they were supposed to open if the impeachment complaint against Arroyo pushes through. Arroyo’s allies in the Lower House, however, are determined not to have those boxes opened.
But Arroyo is nervous because she knows the documents Cayetano and the opposition have, came from international investigating agencies, which are thorough and uncompromising in their work. As Cayetano said, “this is not a wild goose chase because one, there is an account number and two, this is going around among official circles. This is going around not only locally but internationally.”
Arroyo knows this because some members of an anti-corruption agency of another country met with local officials. If she thought the case would just end like that of former justice secretary Hernani Perez, she has former Agriculture Jocelyn “Joc-joc” Bolante miserable in a Chicago jail to remind her that things could work against her this time.
Early in 2001 Swiss banking authorities informed the Philippines of a suspicious $2 million deposit to Coutts bank in the account of Perez’ wife and brother in-law Ramon Arceo. The money was later traced as having come from businessmen Mark Jimenez and was believed to be part of the alleged payoff of the Argentinean power firm IMPSA in exchange for a government guarantee for its foreign loan.
Despite the Swiss banking authorities’ report and charges filed by anti-graft crusader Frank Chavez before the Ombudsman, Perez was never prosecuted.
In Bolante’s case, however, the US government’s anti-corruption drive snared him. Wanted by the Philippine Senate in connection with the alleged diversion of P728 million fertilizer fund for the 2004 election campaign of Arroyo, Bolante was arrested last month upon arriving in Los Angeles after his business and tourist visa was cancelled.
Bolante is now under detention while his request for asylum is being processed.
Read the whole thing.
MORE: An email sent to Ellen from Billy Esposo:
A group of LA Filipinos have organized the Philippine Anticorruption Movement U.S.A., Inc. - PAMUSA in short, pronounced PAM U.S.A. - with Federal Tax ID or EIN 20-5362418 as nonprofit for public service to heed a call of President Bush for NGOs and business community to help fight corruption wherever it exists. Its focus naturally is the Philippines and its organizers see PAMUSA as providential (hulog ng langit).
Since Filipinos don’t seem able to solve their problems on their own God, truly loves the Philippines that in his mysterious ways has devised the “No Safe Haven” policy for the whole world to help our country solve its most debilitating problem: government corruption. The U.S. and other G8 nations, namely: Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the U.K. as well as over 100 other countries have adopted “No Safe Haven” pursuant to the U.N. Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) to deny entry for corrupt officials (past and present), those who corrupt them whether in public or private sector, and their illicitly-acquired assets.
Former DA Usec Jocelyn Bolante became the first Filipino recorded to be collared (in police parlance) under “No Safe Haven” when he arrived in LA on July 7, 2006. The reason: he’s ipso facto a corrupt official. Evidently, Bolante had a valid U.S. visa when he departed Seoul; otherwise, he wouldn’t be allowed to board the plane to LA. Since the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security receives advance passengers manifest of all those bound for the U.S., Bolante’s visa conceivably was cancelled by the U.S. Embassy in Manila while he’s in flight.
He could’ve returned though on the same plane he came in which is the procedure when a person is denied entry. Instead, Bolante opted for detention as illegal alien and applied for asylum according to reports the U.S. immigration wouldn’t deny or confirm. The ground is fear for his life if he answered a Senate subpoena on his role in the PhP728-million fertilizer scam. That’s jumping from frying pan to the fire because he’d be subject to U.S. laws like Imelda Marcos who was charged under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO).
After Bolante’s story came out, rumors went around the “No Safe Haven” could’ve been a reason Mrs. Arroyo skipped Italy after all she’s in Rome already as well as France, Germany and Russia in her last European trip. A visit to Russia would’ve had great political mileage. Russia could supply RP with oil to balance our country’s dependence on Middle East sources and as quid pro quo Russia could be a big RP export market.
That in a nutshell explains a serious problem Mrs. Arroyo and all those supporting her have caused our nation. The solution obviously is for Mrs. Arroyo to step aside since RP recovery under her is now an impossible dream. Any economist knows at least two conditions sine qua non for our nation’s recovery to take off, to wit: (1) Confidence of the people and business community in the national leadership; and (2) Net inflow of foreign investment which again depends on the international community’s confidence.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know Mrs. Arroyo couldn’t elicit confidence from the international community when she might not even be allowed to enter the G8 nations which is the biggest single source of foreign investment. Sad to say, no matter how Mrs. Arroyo’s drumbeaters spin it, local and foreign investors’ confidence in her has been leaking like gas in a tank nearing empty.
PAMUSA’s organizers know most of you aren’t just for the ride but to faithfully serve our country which is an honor to be proud of. In that case, please ask yourselves: What has Mrs. Arroyo done for the nation to deserve further support for her dubious presidency? Could she prevent her impeachment every year by bribing congressmen who are no doubt concerned now with “No Safe Haven”? All of us know Mrs. Arroyo can step down sooner if she so decides rather than later which would exacerbate our nation’s problems unless some sense is hammered into her that resignation like Nixon’s is a good and honorable option. Otherwise, she would bring her family and allies including all of you down to the hole worse than the Marcoses and their corrupt supporters fell into. They didn’t have “No Safe Haven” then.
RTWT rin.
Tribune: German government holds key to GMA, family ‘hoard’
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