In a statement, Mr. Arroyo challenged Cayetano "to be man enough to admit he was mistaken and to accept the consequences of his false and malicious accusation via the Arroyo family’s complaint before the House Ethics Committee, once the German bank officials confirm their bank had never held any Arroyo funds."
He said he had already presented to the public a certification from the bank that the alleged "FG accounts" bared by Cayetano to the media and in a privilege speech at the House did not exist.
In the aftermath of the opposition’s failed impeachment attempt of President Arroyo, Cayetano claimed on nationwide TV and radio that the Arroyos had millions of dollars in hidden wealth stashed in the Hypovereins Bank.
Cayetano’s refusal to apologize prompted the Arroyo family to file several complaints against him before the House ethics committee. The committee last week voted overwhelmingly to send a fact-finding mission to Germany to settle the issue by meeting directly with four ranking officials of the Hypovereins Bank.
Mr. Arroyo also scoffed at Cayetano’s statement before the House press corps yesterday that he intends to use the First Gentleman as part of his campaign in his bid for a Senate seat.
The First Gentleman said this only proves that Cayetano "has made a living off attacking the administration and the First Family, without offering anything in the way of constructive legislation or even concrete proposals to improve the lives of Filipinos."
"Congressman Cayetano only knows how to sing one song, and that is, ‘Down with the Arroyos, oust the President’. I would advise him to stick to legitimate issues and advocacies that help our people. His fixation with destructive politics and black propaganda will be his downfall in the coming elections," Mr. Arroyo said.
House Majority Leader Prospero Nograles said Cayetano should be thankful to the three-man team from the House ethics committee that left for Munich to verify Cayetano’s allegations that the First Family has secret accounts in Germany.
Nograles also said it is Cayetano’s responsibility to prove that he has the goods to pin down the First Gentleman and his family: "By going to Germany, the House ethics panel is actually doing Cayetano a big favor. The committee is walking the extra mile and doing what the accuser should be doing."
"It is basic in law that the one who makes the allegation should carry the burden of proof," Nograles said. "In this case, it’s the other way around." Nograles also belied insinuations the Munich mission is a waste of time and money, and that it is nothing more than a junket.
He defended the trip of Lakas Rep. Roberto Cajes of Bohol, who heads the ethics panel and the Munich team by saying the panel is performing its duty and exercising its "oversight functions."
Cajes was accompanied by Reps. Antonio Cerilles of Zamboanga del Sur and Rodante Marcoleta of the Alagad party-list, who will meet with officials of the Hypovereins Bank on Feb. 2. They are expected to return to Manila on Feb. 4 or Feb. 5. — Paolo Romero, Delon Porcalla