Mike now pointing to poor, sick brod

Two National Police generals reportedly are being considered to replace sacked NBI director Magtanggol Gatdula. Huh, pulis na naman?

Neither of the two nominees, one retired, the other in active duty, were able to curb the rash of murders by gunmen riding motorcycles in tandem. Gun-for-hire has been thriving of late as a cottage industry. Every week someone is shot dead in the same modus operandi. Two gunmen on a motorbike would approach, fire at close range, then flee. A moneylender, a two-timing lover, an insolent co-worker: some of the victims are not even big shots but ordinary folk who happened to have earned someone’s ire. The hired killers are everywhere; from reports, they fetch as low as P20,000 per contract. Likely they were once petty thieves who grabbed handbags or mobile phones from pedestrians, but have graduated to the “big-time.”

Police precinct blotters show a surge in street crimes involving R-I-T (riding in tandem) in the past two years. At least 1,700 incidents were reported last year, with 2,089 victims. In 2010 it was 1,565 incidents, with 1,819 victims. And that’s only from citizens who bothered to file reports; most crime victims don’t, because of the hassle.

If police generals cannot stop the crime wave, can they be trusted to lead the NBI in busting big-time syndicates?

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Mike Arroyo has replied to the Ombudsman’s graft charge about the “chopper scam.” As expected he denied having passed off to the National Police in 2010 as brand new two helicopters he had been using since 2004. Three things stand out in his counter-affidavit:

One, Mike points to his family’s LTA Corp., not him, as the entity that advanced $500,000 to Robinson Helicopter Co. of California. Allegedly he had divested his shares in LTA in 2001, so could not have participated in the dealings in 2003. His brother Ignacio Arroyo was already the LTA boss at the time. Ignacio supposedly had lent the half-million dollars for Lion Air Inc. president Archibald Po to buy five four-seater aircraft. Anything Po says to the contrary, Mike claims, “are patent lies and inconsistencies.”

Mike is now pointing to poor, sick Ignacio as the culprit. The brother, a congressman, has been in London for almost a year, under treatment for a grave liver ailment. Not responding well to medication, friends say, he is in no condition to take on problematic matters. At the height of last year’s Senate inquiry into the scam, Mike initially denied through spokesmen having anything to do with the five Robinson helicopters. But when truth-teller Po produced a money-transfer receipt from LTA to Robinson, Mike changed his story. Supposedly Ignacio had leased the five aircraft from Po’s Lion Air. Po again produced Customs and Air Transport Office records showing the aircraft to have been delivered to and registered in the Philippines after the dates specified in the supposed lease. In the face of such inconsistency, Mike now says the $500,000 was a loan.

Two, Mike says that Po’s statements — that he (Mike) purchased the five aircraft in 2003 (one crashed in 2007), directed the sale of two to the police in 2009, and continued to pay for the maintenance of the remaining two up to 2011 — cannot be substantially corroborated. It is an “incredible ... self-serving ... poorly scripted story” allegedly to link him and wife Gloria to scandals during the latter’s Presidency.

Actually Po had brought at least five corroborative witnesses to the Senate. His Lion Air general manager attested to the hangarage and periodic-maintenance deals. His credit and collection manager detailed her monthly visits to Mike’s office to pick up cash payments. An ex-dispatcher related receiving from Mike phone instructions on whom to ride in the choppers from Lion Air’s hangar. Two pilots-on-call swore that they flew Mike’s associates all over Mindanao during the 2004 presidential campaign. A police colonel-pilot also testified that he had dropped off Arroyo family members in Malacañang. The names were in the flight logs.

• Three, Mike questions Po’s being made a state witness when “he appears to be the most guilty” in the P62.2-million scam.

Actually Po had exposed the scam to the authorities and then testified at the Senate. Mike evaded three summonses on the pretext of illness.

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A number of readers reacted to my piece about the World Bank questioning the misuse of its multimillion-dollar loan to the Supreme Court. The WB also had criticized the executive branch under Arroyo, when roadwork funds were misused. Some lawmakers were linked to ghost projects at the time, and the Ombudsman did nothing. Two reactors:

Bong C. de Guzman, Quezon City: “Your title, ‘In World Bank’s view, whole gov’t stinks,” is apt. Non-accountability prevails. Heads of agencies pay scant attention to it to retain staff loyalty. Especially in projects funded by loans and grants, non-essential purchases routinely are charged to the proceeds. These are for unrelated travels, costs of conferences, hotel bookings, food and per diem. Funds are also diverted for the purchase of expensive vehicles and office equipment. Such vehicles and equipment supposedly are for out-of-town meetings that are no more than beach outings. Not only the ‘attendees’ but the entire office staff partake of the endless delivery of food. Check out the agriculture and public works agencies.”

George del Mar: “As if the impeachment of the Chief Justice were not enough to bring unprecedented dishonor to the Supreme Court, it is now also being held accountable for mishandling the loan intended for judicial reforms.

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