Generals can lessen fault by fingering masterminds

Slurs are intensifying against Ombudsman nominees, retired justice Conchita Carpio Morales and PCGG officer Gerard Mosquera. Evidently aimed to reach President Noynoy Aquino, anonymous texts and e-mails depict the two as evildoers undeserving to be chief graft-buster.

The items distort and exaggerate. A “white paper” demands to know how Carpio Morales would decide a hypothetical case of a “sperminator” like Arnold Schwarzenegger. An SMS calls the 5’4” Mosquera a frustrated murderer, for figuring in a fistfight with a man six inches taller, 18 long years ago when he was in his mid-20s.

Overlooked are their achievements. Carpio Morales had served 28 years in the judiciary, where she displayed independence, even from her appointer Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Mosquera had headed the US-AID anti-corruption team in newborn East Timor.

The attacks come after the Judicial and Bar Council finished its character screening, with objectors given ample time to pick their beef. The two can only take comfort in the Tagalog adage, “Ang puno na hitik sa bunga ay pinupukol (The tree that bears much fruit is pelted).”

The JBC had nominated two others: former justice secretary Artemio Tuquero and present undersecretary Leah Armamento. Interviewing them, Aquino says his list is down to two. A spokesperson implies that Tuquero has been scratched off, having twitted then-Senator Aquino in March 2010 for rejecting a midnight appointee-Chief Justice. Armamento, reportedly backed by Aquino ally Sen. Francis Escudero reportedly had stood up to hazy Arroyo justice secretary Raul Gonzalez.

* * *

From documents in Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s possession, Philippine National Police generals might fry. They’re implicated in a July 2009 purchase of two old light helicopters, at a higher price than brand new. These are: then-PNP director general Jesus Versoza; acceptance-inspection committee chairman Chief Supt. George Piano; members Sr. Supts. Luis Saligumba and Nolan Antonio, and Supt. Edgar Paatan; Comptrollership management division chief Sr. Supt. Mansue Lukban, and property inspector Officer-3 Avensuel Dy. Then-interior secretary and National Police Commission chairman Ronaldo Puno too could be indicted.

In May 2009 the PNP began negotiating with the supplier, Manila Aerospace Products Trading Corp. (Maptra). With Napolcom approval, the Special Action Force had applied for three brand new police choppers. After two months, in July 2009, Piano, Saligumba, Antonio and Paatan accepted delivery of one brand new Robinson’s Raven-II police version and two pre-owned Raven-I civilian models.

Contract price: P105 million, broken down into P43 million for the fully equipped police-use Raven-II, and P31 million each for the standard Raven-I.

Instead of quizzing why two of the three requisitioned units suddenly became pre-owned, Lukban and Dy recommended full payment. Which Versoza did in record time, insiders murmur, with Puno’s equally speedy consent.

Lacson has no question about the P43-million tag price for the Raven-II police model. It came with night-into-day flight view, infrared camera, 20-million candlelight searchlight, satellite communications, real-time GPS, and other crime-busting features. It’s the Raven-I that’s bugging Lacson. From records, a brand new civilian unit at the time cost only P24 million. Meaning, the two old ones were overpriced by at least P7 million each, at the P31-million contract price. And these were passed off as brand new.

Comes the clincher. Citing documents, Lacson avers that the two used choppers were owned by then-First Gentleman Mike Arroyo. Both were bought in early 2004, supposedly for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s presidential run against Fernando Poe Jr. Both had flying times of at least 500 hours. These are open secrets in the country’s small civil aviation industry, where everyone knows each other.

There’s more. From flight logs, Lacson says, the most frequent passengers of the two choppers were members of the then-First Family. The choppers also used to land at the restricted Area-3 in Malacañang Park, reserved only for presidential flights.

From Lacson’s documents, the PNP officers seem directly involved in fraud. In certifying, accepting and overpaying for used equipment mislabeled as new, they could be imprisoned for graft. At the very least, they would be exposed to public ridicule in a Senate inquiry to be held on Lacson’s request. Present Interior Secretary and Napolcom head Jesse Robredo has ordered the PNP to compile evidence.

But Lacson, an ex-PNP chief, seems to be offering the generals a way out. To reporters last Tuesday he said that none of the implicated officers got commissions from the anomaly. “How will you make kickbacks when you are dealing with powerful people who owned the aircraft?” he noted. “This deal obviously was forced upon them.” Two days later, reacting to Robredo’s announcement of completed evidence gathering, Lacson cautioned against “unwittingly leaving out the bigger personalities involved.”

Lacson is in effect telling the generals to detail the pressures they underwent to accept the used choppers as brand new. By pinpointing the masterminds, they can lessen their participation to mere accessories. They may even find peace, instead of public stigma.

* * *

Catch Sapol radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., DWIZ, (882-AM).

E-mail: [email protected]