Mike A to face Sandigan Monday

First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo will be back in the country in time to testify in the Sandiganbayan plunder trial of deposed President Joseph Estrada on Monday, for which he has been served a subpoena by the anti-graft court.

Sources at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) said Arroyo is scheduled to arrive tomorrow from Hong Kong on a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight, but he will leave again late Wednesday for the United States.

The NAIA sources said Arroyo and his party have been booked on PAL flight PR 307 which is scheduled to arrive at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow.

The First Gentleman was in Hong Kong yesterday but a Philippine diplomat said officials did not know whether he would stay in the former British colony.

Mr. Arroyo arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday night - one day after the embattled Philippine leader said her husband would leave the country to allow her to fight vote-rigging accusations at home.

"He is still in Hong Kong. It is a private visit and that’s all we can say," said Noel Novicio, vice consul at the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong. "We were not informed about the details of his trip."

He arrived in Hong Kong with younger son Diosdado, his son’s wife Cacai and their daughter Eva Victoria, and a nanny.

Arroyo, a lawyer from a prominent family, has been accused of taking kickbacks from operators of jueteng, a popular illegal numbers game. He’s become the target of a Senate inquiry, though no firm evidence has emerged. The President’s son, Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo, and brother-in-law, Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio "Iggy" Arroyo, are also accused.

Mrs. Arroyo acknowledged Monday that she had talked to an election official about protecting a million-vote victory margin during last year’s presidential election. She apologized for "a lapse of judgment," but denied rigging the vote.

Mrs. Arroyo announced last Wednesday that "my husband has volunteered to go abroad… to remove himself from any situation which will cast doubts on my presidency." — Rainer Allan Ronda, AP