Philippines: Arroyo hands in distribution of cash gift undeniable, says Pimentel

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Nene” Q. Pimentel,
Jr. (PDP-Laban) today said it is an undeniable fact
that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had a hand in
the distribution of the “cash gift” to congressmen and
governors in Malacañang last Oct. 11 despite
conflicting claims by her political allies about the
source of the money and their efforts to shield her
from the scandal.

Pimentel said Pampanga Governor Fr. Ed Panlilio was
being polite when he testified at the Senate inquiry
that he was not sure whether the President was
involved in the giving out of the largesse – P200,000
to P500,000 to each of the congressmen and governors
who attended the meeting.

“I think the source is no longer in question because
the fact is that the money was distributed in
Malacañang and everything that happens there is the
responsibility of the person occupying the highest
office of the land,” he said.

In an attempt to cover up the role of the President in
the Palace’s payoff, Pimentel said her aides and
allies have concocted different versions of the
incident but it was apparent they were lying and
merely looking for a scapegoat.

At first, Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. and the House
of Representatives were pinpointed as the source of
the money. Then, the name of the Lakas party surfaced.

Later, leaders of the League of Provinces claimed the
money given to the governors came from the league’s
capability-building funds. Then a stalwart of
Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino admitted that the party
gave the money to assist its members during the
barangay elections.

Pimentel said if the money was intended for Lakas or
Kampi members, then why was Gov. Panlilio given
P500,000 when he was not a member of either party?

“As a matter of fact, you will notice from the
testimony of Gov. Panlilio that he is not entitled to
any Kampi funds because he is not a member of Kampi.
He said so himself. So you tie the various points of
his testimony together and the conclusion is
inevitable that the money was distributed in
Malacañang and illegally at that,” the minority leader
said.

“And since it was distributed in Malacañang, nobody
else but the President is responsible, regardless of
where the money came from because Malacañang is her
exclusive turf. Nobody can just distribute money in
Malacañang without the President’s knowledge.”

If the Malacañang lackeys would insist that the money
was intended as aid to the congressmen and governors
for the barangay elections, Pimentel said that would
put them in deeper trouble because they have no
business interfering in such political exercises which
are non-partisan in character.