The Wutz Up in the Philippines!

MANILA, Philippines - Former police senior superintendent Cezar Mancao II tagged former President Joseph Estrada and Sen. Panfilo Lacson behind the murders of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000.

Mancao testified in open court yesterday tagging the two personalities as among six people that carried out “Operation Delta,” a covert operation supposedly designed to silence Dacer.

Mancao’s lawyer Ferdinand Topacio told reporters that the former police official also testified before the closed-door hearing that former police senior officials Michael Ray Aquino, Teofilo Viña, Vicente Arnado and Glenn Dumlao took part in Operation Delta.

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MANILA, Philippines - Security and intelligence officials revealed yesterday another destabilization attempt against the Arroyo administration, claiming opposition leaders were utilizing rightist military elements to overthrow the government.

The opposition, on the other hand, accused the administration of creating the scenario of another destabilization plot to justify forceful measures against critics.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the administration has everything to gain in the series of bombing attempts in Metro Manila and other parts of the country.

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A multi-sectoral federation of 61 non-government organizations nationwide expressed its full support to First Gentleman Mike Arroyo yesterday as it urged Sen. Panfilo Lacson to be a gentleman and accept defeat in the World Bank report controversy which the solon had been talking about despite the absence of evidence.

The Balikatan People’s Alliance lauded Mr. Arroyo for staying focused on his charity work and for being calm with his pronouncement of not filing any case against his detractors in the controversy.

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Will consult doctors on his Senate appearance First Gentleman denies involvement in any wrongdoing.

First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo yesterday denied allegations of involvement in the cartel practices of some contractors that were discovered by the World Bank in the bidding for road projects that the agency was funding in the Philippines.

“Of course not. It’s not true,” Attorney Arroyo said in a chance interview with GMA television network after his regular check-up at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City.

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Santiago may seek deposition instead

MANILA, Philippines—Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago on Sunday said she was inclined to excuse the husband of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from attending the Senate inquiry into the purported rigged bidding of World Bank-funded projects if he requested it for health reasons.

But Santiago, chair of the committee on economic affairs, said she was also inclined to seek a deposition from First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo so he could answer a World Bank report’s allegation of corruption against him.

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Lacson to Santiago: Get World Bank report.

MANILA, Philippines—Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Thursday urged Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago to resume looking into the World Bank’s blacklisting of three Filipino construction firms so she could subpoena the report implicating President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s husband in corrupt activities.

Lacson made the call a day after he released to the media “excerpts” of the World Bank report that, he said, had at least 10 witnesses linking First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo, certain politicians and public works officials to collusion in rigged biddings.

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MANILA, Philippines – Witnesses interviewed by the World Bank (WB) in its investigation into the alleged rigged bids for its road projects in the country pointed to First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo as involved in bribery of infrastructure projects funded by the Bank, an opposition senator said on Wednesday.

In a telephone interview with GMANews.TV, Sen. Panfilo Lacson cited a portion of the WB report where witnesses told Bank investigators that the husband of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and a former senator had to be bribed for them to enter into businesses in the country.

“There are at least eight witnesses na na-interview (ng World Bank), at least eight witnesses ang nagtestify, sinasabi yung rigging ng bid at tsaka yung bribery sa ibang officials. One former senator, he was named, tapos si FG… Sabi nila, di ka makakapasok sa negosyo kung di ka maglalagay sa mga tao na ‘yun,” Lacson said.

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