There was bribery at Palace — Rodrigo

Former Malacañang correspondence secretary Veronica "Bing" Rodrigo said yesterday she was convinced there was bribery at Malacañang linked to the franchise of two telecommunications company even as she denied any personal knowledge that First Gentleman Mike Arroyo received the alleged P40-million bribe.

The First Gentleman, however, insisted that no such bribery ever took place.

"Haka-haka lang iyon. That is only her opinion. I doubt that any bribery ever took place," Mr. Arroyo said.

Meanwhile, Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao laughed off claims by the opposition that the Arroyo administration’s appointment of certain media personalities to various positions in government-owned and controlled corporations is connected with the 2004 presidential elections.

The claim was made by opposition senators who grilled the First Gentleman before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, which looked into the alleged telecom bribery scandal.

Testifying before the Blue Ribbon Committee, Rodrigo said that she resigned from Malacañang last June 27, effective June 30, after learning that she would be used as the scapegoat for the fiasco on the recall of a presidential veto on the legislative franchises of Philippine Communications Clearinghouse Inc. and APC Interface Wireless.

She said that a former transportation and communications official, Malou Nuñez, told her that one group was granting false hopes to the other group (franchisees) when the veto was already a done deal.

Upon further questioning by Sen. Sergio Osmeña III, Rodrigo said that one group wanted to get its money back but the other group would not do so and was planning to blame her for the fiasco.

She also said that Nuñez had wanted to get from her documents on the franchises that she supposedly sat on. She said she was shocked and surprised at this statement of Nuñez and denied knowledge of such documents.

She added that it was Nuñez who later told her that she would be blamed for the failure of the group to recall the veto.

She said that she did not personally explain to President Arroyo the real reason for her resignation, and that she asked a lawyer friend, a certain Raffy Evangelista, to do the explaining to the President.

When asked by Osmeña why she did not do the explaining when she and the President were friends of long-standing, Rodrigo replied that she was hesitant because the President has a bad temper.

She said she asked Evangelista to explain to the President that she resigned because she did not want to get involved with something that was happening around her, that there were persons close to her and around her at Malacañang who were involved in the telecommunications controversy.

Last July 19, she read over the radio a statement prepared by her lawyer reacting to the claim of Mr. Arroyo over the same radio station two days earlier that the lady from Malacañang who had just resigned accepted the bribe, and not he. She said that she felt alluded to and reacted in anger.

In that statement read over the radio, Rodrigo said that Mr. Arroyo was not telling the truth and that his integrity was not at all credible to many people. She also said that she had learned that Mr. Arroyo and three other Malacañang people were involved in the bribery.

Pressed by Senators Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Luisa Ejercito she identified the three Malacañang people as lawyer Erlinda de Leon, confidential assistant of Mrs. Arroyo, Antonio Gatuslao of the President Legislative Liaison Office, and Tito Los Baños, whom she described as Mr. Arroyo’s business partner.

She submitted to the committee headed by Sen. Joker Arroyo a second statement clarifying her first one read over the radio that tended to link the First Gentleman to the alleged bribery attempt.

"I only heard of the bribery from Malou Nuñez. I have no direct knowledge. I am no longer complaining against Mike Arroyo," she said in answer to a clarificatory question from Sen. Robert Barbers.

Mr. Arroyo said he never mentioned any name of the alleged bribe-taker at Malacañang and that he was merely quoting from text messages. He blamed text messaging for the bribe controversy that beset his family and that of Rodrigo.

"I did not know anything about telecommunications franchises. I have nothing to do with their veto and the alleged move to recall the veto. As a lawyer, I know it is futile to recall the veto as it needs a two-thirds vote of Congress to over-ride," he told the Senate panel.

Mr. Arroyo said he later learned from industry sources that the companies were owned by Jaime Dichaves, a crony of former President Joseph Estrada.

"I have no reason to do him (Dichaves) a favor," he stressed.

The ice between Mr. Arroyo and Rodrigo thawed before the start of the hearing when he approached her, shook her hand and apologized. She said she would accept the apology if it is sincere, to which he replied: "I am sincere."

Rodrigo later said that with the apology, she no longer harbors any ill-feeling towards Mr. Arroyo, a long-time friend.

Mr. Arroyo said he had always wanted to talk with her but did not do so until they met at the Senate hearing.

"Kung kinausap ko siya noon, sasabihin nila na nagka-aregluhan (If I talked to her then, they might say we fixed it)," he explained.

Senator Arroyo scheduled the next hearing on Oct. 18. He said that the First Gentleman, Rodrigo, and Secretary Gabriel Claudio of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, would be invited to the hearing anew, along with Attorney Evangelista.

Meanwhile, Presidential Management Staff (PMS) chief Secretary Victoria Garchitorena defended Mr. Arroyo at a press briefing yesterday and said the First Gentleman has not endorsed the appointment of any media personality for appointed positions.

Garchitorena heads the Palace committee that screens nominees to government positions who would have to be appointed by the President.

"The First Gentleman has never, never, from my Day One in government called me about an appointment or any other action of the PMS. Not in the social funds, not in any of our activities. Never, not once," Garchitorena said. - With Marichu Villanueva