First Gentleman twits Erap, Ping on visa

MANILA, Philippines - First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo denounced yesterday allegations that he would be arrested in the US for money laundering and said his principal accusers, former President Joseph Estrada and Sen. Panfilo Lacson, are the ones facing arrest by American authorities for espionage – that is if they are issued US visas.

“It is not true that I am being investigated on money laundering. I have been here on numerous occasions and I was even escorted by the Secret Service courtesy of the US government,” Mr. Arroyo told Radio Mindanao Network.

He said the fact that he had been issued a visa proved that he could travel freely in the US provided he did not violate laws.

Arroyo administration critics earlier dared the First Gentleman to join the President on her US visit for a meeting with President Barack Obama to prove that he was not under investigation for money laundering.

The First Gentleman said the allegations were black propaganda against him and President Arroyo.

“What they are saying are all lies. I don’t have a bank account here in the US, I have no property, no stocks,” Mr. Arroyo said in Filipino.

“It is Lacson and him (Estrada) who are facing an espionage case along with Aragoncillo, so they cannot come here,” Mr. Arroyo added.

The First Gentleman was referring to Filipino-American Leandro Aragoncillo, an intelligence analyst working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who was indicted on charges of stealing confidential information from the US government.

He was charged along with former police senior superintendent Michael Ray Aquino, who was the recipient of the stolen information.

The US government also investigated the intended recipients of the information in the Philippines, but gave no names.

However, it was widely suspected that Estrada and Aquino’s former boss Lacson were the recipients of the stolen information.

Mr. Arroyo said the President is the main target of the accusations against him.

“Maybe they want to target GMA (President Arroyo’s initials) so I became their punching bag because they think that if they hit me, GMA will fall,” he said.

“But the thing is, what they are saying are all lies. They have yet to say anything that is true,” he said.

The First Gentleman also shrugged off persistent speculations that Mrs. Arroyo intends to extend her term beyond 2010.

Many opposition members said Mrs. Arroyo’s declaration in her State of the Nation Address that her term ends in 2010 is not enough assurance that she will step down.

“(Foreign Affairs) Secretary (Alberto) Romulo told me that waking up those who are already awake is the hardest. Those who do not want to believe will never believe. You cannot do anything about this,” Mr. Arroyo said.

“GMA has repeatedly stated that her term is only until 2010. What can be clearer than that? She repeated that here, that she will only be in power until 2010. After that she will step down,” he added.

The First Gentleman revealed that he and the President have already thought about retiring after 2010 and spending time with their grandchildren.

Mr. Arroyo, in his interview with RMN, said that the President “must be doing something right” citing the resilience of the Philippine economy amid global recession.

“So do not believe in the critics. Believe in statistics and Moody’s because it doesn’t lie. It is a very reputable rating agency,” Mr. Arroyo said, referring to the financial research and credit rating agency which recently upgraded its outlook on the Philippines.

“They (Filipinos) should be proud that the Philippines is doing well. Do not believe the opposition because what they are doing is all black propaganda and malicious,” he added.