Arroyo spokeswoman charged with graft

MANILA, Philippines - Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s spokeswoman, Elena Bautista-Horn, was charged with graft for allegedly favoring an insurance firm during her stint as chairperson of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

Lawyer Orlando Dizon, who filed the complaint as a taxpayer, said Horn should be held liable for violating Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for giving undue favor to the Philippine Accident Managers Inc. (PAMI).

He said the insurance company’s authority as the LTFRB’s insurance provider expired in 2005 but instead of pushing for an accreditation process or a public bidding, she and other officials extended the firm’s contract to 2007.

Dizon, a former official of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI), said that when the extended contract expired in 2007, it was again extended to 2010.

“The pattern of graft and corruption in said government agency ought to be stopped,” his four-page affidavit complaint, filed on Oct. 17, read.