Mike and Mikey Arroyo linked to jueteng!

[dawn runner]

Aw, kung di gyud malikayan, ma gyera gyud ta.

[dawn runner]

Senator Lapid's house in Pampanga strafed

First posted 02:36pm (Mla time) June 01, 2005
By Tonette Orejas, Veronica Uy
Inquirer News Service, INQ7.net

PORAC, Pampanga, Philippines -- (UPDATE) Unidentified men strafed the house of Senator Manuel "Lito" Lapid in Barangay (village) Cangatba here on Tuesday night, a senior staff member of the senator said Wednesday.

"There's a possible threat on the life of the senator and it might have something to do with the jueteng probe," said lawyer Benalfre Galang, Lapid's chief of staff.

He said the bullets hit the gate of Lapid's house on Ortigas Street here before midnight.

Galang said Lapid's aides recovered at least three slugs from a 9-millimeter gun.

He said the suspects fled aboard a Nissan Safari with plate No. 999.

In a separate interview in Manila, Alex Marcelino, Lapid's spokesman, corroborated Galang's account of the shooting.

He said a dark green or black Nissan Safari with "999" on its plate number was seen leaving Lapid's house.

A certain Danny, whom Marcelino said was Lapid's nephew, saw the speeding Safari and recovered three nine-millimeter slugs from the scene.

Lapid's spokesman said no one was injured in the incident, as the house was some 200 meters from the gate.

The senator and his wife stay in a house in Quezon City when the Senate is in session while their four children, including Governor Mark Lapid, are the only ones left in their Porac house, said Marcelino.

He said the senator's office requested the Camp Crame Crime Laboratory to check the recovered slugs and the Land Transportation Office to verify the plate number.

"Hindi namin alam kung ito ay nakikisakay lang sa isyu

ng jueteng o talagang may galit dahil sa jueteng [We do not know if the perpetrators are only riding on the jueteng issue or there are really those who are angry because of jueteng], Marcelino said.

"Maaari rin namang para kay Governor Mark ang pananakot. Alam mo na, nasa pulitika rin siya [It's possible that the real target is Governor Mark. He is also in politics]," Marcelino added.

But the Porac police did not have the same details, said their chief, Superintendent Walter Castillejos.

Castillejos said Lapid's aides told police the attack happened on a house on B. Lumanlan Street, also in the same village and some 100 meters west of Lapid's house.

They also told the police that they merely heard gunshots. Castillejos said no slugs were reported recovered.

Galang said Lapid was not in the house during the attack. It was the senator's son, Governor Lapid, who spent the night there.

Senator Lapid, co-chairman of a joint committee investigation on "jueteng," disclosed that he had been receiving text messages, warning him not to pursue the inquiry.

He said earlier text messages were just "pang-iinsulto [insulting]."

But Lapid said the most unsettling was one in which he was being asked to prepare his Barong Tagalog because his grave was ready.

The senator heads the committee on games and amusement.

This is not good. Someone is trying to stop the jueteng probe. They dont want the truth to come out.

Incidents like this one dont happen in Eraps time. Ironically, it happen during GMAs time. It so unthinkable.

[hala tindak jud]

Aw, kung di gyud malikayan, ma gyera gyud ta.

Gyera? As in bra-ta ta-tat ta tat...ka boom! plok! bang?

Im ready for it! MLM gud ni, (sa makasabot lang!)

[dawn runner]

Mikey Arroyo said, "I attended this committee hearing to give the impression that I am not hiding," he said, adding that he wanted the courts and other "proper" bodies to resolve the accusations against the First Family.

However during the Committee hearing, he did not say a word. Being there is not enough. He should have actively participated in the discussions. He should have asked questions.

Well, he might be afraid that if the issue will be discussed full blown he will be further implicated.

Ma slip of the tongue pa lang unya. Di ba Mikey?

[dawn runner]

Stop threatening witnesses, DOJ told
Drilon to Gonzalez: Quit as jueteng prober BY JOAN DAIRO

SEN. Manuel Villar yesterday said the Senate would not allow Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez to "harass" witnesses testifying about public and PNP officials receiving jueteng money.

Villar, chairman of the committee on public order and illegal drugs which is investigating the jueteng payola jointly with the committee on games and amusement, said the chamber would provide legal assistance to the former jueteng operator who has dragged presidential son Rep. Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo (Lakas, Pampanga) into the jueteng scandal.

"We will protect our witnesses. The legal staff of the Senate would help them in case cases are filed against them in connection with their testimony before the Senate hearings," Villar said in an interview over radio dzMM.

Gonzalez, head of a special committee looking into the allegations that some members of the First Family are involved in jueteng, was quoted as saying Wilfredo Mayor who appeared before the Senate Monday is not immune to perjury or libel charges. He also said Mayor’s testimony was hearsay and lacking in substance.

Even before the Senate could start its inquiry, Gonzalez had said whistleblowers, particularly those accusing some members of the Arroyo family of involvement in jueteng, could be charged with libel or illegal gambling. He also said the accusers would be investigated first before the Arroyos.

Mayor told the initial Senate hearing that he paid Rep. Arroyo P600,000 a month in protection money through a bagman whom he identified as Arthur Naguit or "Catoy."

Villar said: "We will not allow Gonzalez to threaten our witnesses. He should observe courtesy. The Department of Justice is under the executive branch of our government and we belong to the legislative branch. We are equal branches so he should show us some respect."

Villar said he would ask Gonzalez to refrain from further making public statements that would intimidate other witnesses.

Senate President Franklin Drilon said Gonzalez should resign as head of the special committee and allow Chief Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño to take over.

"Secretary Gonzalez should inhibit himself from government task force on jueteng. How can he conduct an impartial investigation when he had already declared that the witness Mr. Mayor was lying to the Senate and could be charged criminally in court?" Drilon said.


"Having said that, I wonder how government prosecutors under Secretary Gonzalez could ever rule that there is no prima facie evidence against Mayor? Will they date contradict their own boss?" Drilon asked.

Drilon said Gonzalez should not be too media-hungry. "For opening his mouth to the media too often too son, I am afraid Secretary Gonzalez has deprived himself of the public perception that he can be an impartial investigator in this highly-sensitive and emotional controversy. I strongly suggest that he immediately give the job to Chief Prosecutor Zuño," he added.

Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel said Mayor could not be charged with libel over his testimony because this was made during the hearing.

"Any case stemming from Mayor’s testimony would not prosper," he said.

Naguit yesterday filed libel charges against Mayor before the justice department.

Drilon said the libel complaint would have a "chilling effect on (other) witnesses especially given the public statements of Secretary Gonzalez."

"These libel cases taken together with the public statements of Secretary Gonzalez has a chilling effect on the witnesses," he said.

Drilon asked other prospective witnesses "not to be intimidated. As long as you are telling the truth, God is yon your side."

Sen. Panfilo Lacson has said that some witnesses who had agreed to testify before the Senate were having second thoughts for fear that they would be criminally charged.

Gonzalez denied intimidating prospective witnesses.

In fact, he said he has offered to enroll Mayor and his immediate family in the t the Witness Protection Program of the DOJ.

In a letter addressed to Drilon, Gonzalez said he has ordered the NBI to make background checks and gather more information regarding the names mentioned by Mayor in his Senate testimony for case build-up, which is the first stage of their investigation.

He said this is necessary to establish probable cause against those in the list given by various resource persons like Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz and PNP chief Arturo Lomibao.

"I assure you that we are conducting an honest-to-goodness investigation and this is the reason why I placed the three DOJ undersecretaries in the panel, two of whom are not my appointees, plus Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño. I am quite confident that these people are known to you since you were Secretary of Justice," he said.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Malacañang is neither threatening nor harassing witnesses.

He said he would ask Gonzalez to be more careful in issuing statements.

"I will really tell the secretary of justice, this issue has come up especially invoking the statements made by some senators so that he will be conscious on how to handle these whistleblowers so that his actions will not be misunderstood as trying to muzzle them," he said.

"The impression seems to be that just because he’s in the Cabinet, therefore he seems to have received instructions to squeeze something from these people and prevent them from revealing more. Hindi naman ganoon, but I have to let you know para conscious siya, na maguwardiyahan ang kanyang position, na hindi naman maisip ng tao na meron siyang bias," he added.

Ermita said witnesses in Congress are protected by the rules of both chambers.

"Otherwise if they get scared of being charged of perjury, they might clamp down. So hindi siguro dapat ipag-alaala nila because when they were invited as resource persons, they know their actuations and what they have to say will be subject to public scrutiny because this is open to media but as to whether they could be hauled to court for perjury I don’t think it will happen," he said.

The Senate committees on games and amusement and public order and illegal drugs will resume hearings on Monday at 10 a.m.

Thats it! Kudos to Senators Drilon and Villar! I appreciate your gesture on Gonzales. Gonzales is already biased and he is already acting more like a defense lawyer of the Arroyos than the Secretary of Justice. He should be fair.

His acts is too shameful. He should not be allowed to threaten more witness otherwise the truth will not come out. If his bosses are really innocent they should not be afraid of the investigations.

Bishop Cruz said he and his witnesses are being harassed, threatened and hunted. Someone is really trying hard so that truth will not come out.

Erap said during his time, he never instructed his Secretary of Justice to harass witnesses. He allowed eveyone to speak. Now thats an action of a truly innocent man.

[FK]

if he will charge those operators who testified for illegal gambling, dapat iya sab i-charge si Chavit Singson for illegal gambling.

[dawn runner]

I agree. Chavit is a sacred cow and he is a liar too. now what, Chavit threatened Erap that he will implicate him in jueteng if that bingo 2 ball will not be awarded to him. The rest is history.

Chavit fooled the entire Filipino nation into believing him that Erap is into jueteng.

Wait FK. Bishop Cruz has two more witnesses. These two will explode more bombs! First witness pa lang, nataranta na ang mga Arroyo.

[tolstoi]

nataranta bah?..well the arroyo's have witnesses who can prove that cruz and company are paid bombers..5 M is the figure [..from this evenings news]

[hala tindak jud]

wait wait sah ha!

we know we have different perspektiba regarding to our biases on the who is on the government right now.

the issue in here is that the flame has been burning already and we have to put it down so that it wont spread more.

ang Jueteng iligal, kung kinsa man gani ang nahingtungdan nga gidudahan nga adunay gamay nga pangilabot sa niining bisyoha, kinahanglan nga moatubang sa hustisya.

Atoang isalikway sa una ang panghuna huna nga pro o anti kita, atong huna hunaon nga ang history mibalik sa pag-usab. Ug kinahanglan mobarug kita isip mga Pinoy ug iluklok sa angayan nga kaluklokan ang mga opisyales nga mingduyog sa iligal nga sugal.

And then the Solons are asking Lomibao to do his job well to erase Jueteng out of sight, nga ingon si Lomibao pag alas 5 sa hapon niadtong Mayo 27 nga Phils. is Jueteng free, unya gahapon sa NEWS miingon cya nga lisod wagtangon ang Jueteng.

CONSISTENT kaha ang PNP ani? Where did our taxes go?

[FK]

nataranta bah?..well the arroyo's have witnesses who can prove that cruz and company are paid bombers..5 M is the figure [..from this evenings news]

imoha sab na bai nga mo too ka sa side ni GMA, kay you are pro. Wala ko kapaminaw sa news... onsa ang ingon sa witness nila Arroyo?