Marcelo reviving telecoms franchise bid — Palace

The businessman who accused President Arroyo of attempting to take control of his two companies is reportedly out to revive a bid for a telecommunications franchise which she had already rejected.

Pacifico "Pic" Marcelo III, president of the Philippine Communications Clearinghouse Inc. and the APC Wireless Network Inc., allegedly asked the President in a meeting in Malacañang last August to support his renewed bid.

However, according to Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao, the President was irritated at the request and quickly rejected it.

Marcelo is now under investigation for allegedly lying about his citizenship and violating the conditions of his stay in the country as a tourist.

National Bureau of Investigation Director Reynaldo Wycoco said the NBI’s Anti-Fraud and Computer Crimes Division has already received documents from the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) on Marcelo’s American citizenship.

Wycoco added that the NBI has also requested the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for documents to prove Marcelo’s violations.

Other sources at the NBI said they expect to get the documents next week. After getting the documents, the bureau will interview persons included in the incorporation papers for Marcelo’s companies.

Immigration agents attempted to arrest Marcelo last Monday before he was able to file an affidavit with the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. He had claimed that the President wanted him to turn over control of his two companies to her and her associates before he could be allowed to set up a telecommunications clearinghouse firm.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said Malacañang should refrain from blocking Marcelo from testifying before the Blue Ribbon Committee to allow the truth to come out.

"The bottomline is whether Mr. Marcelo is telling the truth or not. As a Senator, I will give him all the chance to validate what he says and allow the other side to rebut his allegations," Pimentel said.

The senator stressed that even though he belongs to the opposition, it does not mean he would accept Marcelo’s claims hook-line-and-sinker. "There will have to be additional evidence because as things stand, it’s his word against the President’s," he said.

Tiglao said Marcelo himself told the President of his plans to revive his franchise application, and the President expressed surprise at the suggestion.

"The President was surprised and somewhat irritated because he (Marcelo) wants to file again his clearing house franchise bill. He wanted to get the commitment of the President that once he files a similar bill, she will not veto it," Tiglao revealed.

The President, according to Tiglao, rejected the suggestion and explained that a telecommunications clearing house would be disadvantageous not only to telecom operators but also to consumers. The only ones who would gain if such a company is permitted to set up are its owners who stand to rake in billions of "undeserved profit," Mrs. Arroyo said.

Tiglao added that Marcelo deliberately took out of context the President’s pronouncements during their meeting. Marcelo quoted Mrs. Arroyo as saying that for as long as she is President, "you cannot set up a clearing house. We will set up the clearinghouse." Tiglao pointed out that Marcelo took the quote and made it appear as if the President herself wanted to own a clearinghouse firm.

"The President very clearly meant that if ever a telecom clearinghouse will be organized, it would have to be controlled by the existing telecom players themselves since this would generate huge profits at the expense of the actual operators as well as consumers," he said.

"Mr. Marcelo very maliciously interpreted the ‘we’ as referring to the President’s personal interest," he added.

Tiglao also clarified reports that the President was "worried" by Marcelo’s accusations. He noted that the President’s only concern was the potential uncertainties that such an accusation could do to the country’s political stability.

"Mr. Marcelo’s allegations form part of an unprincipled scheme by a desperate faction of the opposition to destroy the integrity of the Arroyo administration and to derail the economic growth momentum we have started to build up in the past few months," he said.

"We are starting to turn around the economy. The US trip was the clincher, the confidence was renewed and here comes again the opposition plot to destabilize things. That’s her worry," Tiglao added. – With Mike Frialde, Aurea Calica