October 13, 2003, The Philippine Star, Jose Pidal part 3 bared today, by Jess Diaz,

October 13, 2003, The Philippine Star, Jose Pidal part 3 bared today, by Jess Diaz,

Opposition presidential hopeful Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who is facing possible arrest in connection with the revived Kuratong Baleleng case, is expected to unveil today the third part of his "Incredible Hulk-Jose Pidal" exposé, and this time "Mrs. Pidal" will be implicated. 

"Tuloy na siya," a member of his staff told reporters yesterday when asked whether Lacson would deliver this afternoon his long-expected third privileged speech on Jose Pidal. 

Lacson's political adviser and spokesman Lito Banayo said the senator would directly link President Arroyo to her husband's alleged corruption and money laundering activities. 

But Malacañang belittled the capability of Lacson to come out with more explosive charges, saying it was all a bum steer. 

"I believe the Chapter 3 of his (exposé) would not be any different from the 1 and 2 allegations, which are all unsubstantiated," Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said in a radio interview. 

In his two "Incredible Hulk" privileged speeches on Aug. 18 and Sept. 2, Lacson accused the First Gentleman of using the false name Jose Pidal to hide tens of millions in supposedly illegal funds. 

Lacson claimed that the funds came from friends whom Arroyo helped get appointed to high or juicy positions in government and from deals he cut with favor-seekers. 

The President’s husband has denied the accusations. 

Malacañang also expressed confidence yesterday that Mrs. Arroyo would be able to sufficiently answer all the charges to be hurled against her by the opposition senator. 

At the same time, Bunye dismissed anew allegations that Malacañang is exerting efforts to stop Quezon City Judge Theresa Yadao from handling the Kuratong Baleleng case against Lacson. 

"I think that report is coming from the camp of Senator Lacson but we all know that the President respects the judiciary and she would not interfere with the judicial process," Bunye stressed. 

But he said the administration would not prevent authorities from arresting Lacson once the court issues a warrant of arrest against him. 

"The government will implement what is appropriate and there would be no exception. It does not mean that he would not be arrested just because he is a senator," Bunye said. 

Lacson, on the other hand, said while Malacañang is trying to downplay his three-part Pidal exposé, the Palace "is obviously in a state of panic." 

He said the Arroyo administration "has hired more than a dozen propaganda mercenaries who have resorted to all kinds of dirty tricks and black propaganda to hide the truth that the First Gentleman is the same Jose Pidal who launders money that came from extortion, influence peddling, bribery and other corrupt practices." 

Bunye said last week the opposition senator’s third privileged speech would be "a dud just like the other two previous speeches." 

Lacson said he made himself scarce last week because of "highly reliable information" that Arroyo partisans, including some police officers with a personal grudge against him, would assassinate him. 

The closest Lacson got to dragging Mrs. Arroyo in the controversy was in the second part of his exposé, in which he claimed that a P1.3-million Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) check had found its way into the Jose Miguel Arroyo’s Jose Pidal account. 

The PCSO has denied it gave the First Gentleman the check. Its accuser has failed to present proof that a P1.3-million check had indeed been deposited in the Pidal account. 

Indirectly, Lacson has accused Mrs. Arroyo of abetting her husband’s supposed corruption activities by appointing his friends, including Ephraim Genuino of the Philippine Gaming and Amusement Corp., Edgar Manda of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Joc-joc Bolante of the Department of Agriculture. 

The First Gentleman has admitted that these are his friends but that they were chosen by a Palace selection committee. He and they are not involved in corruption, he said. 

Besides using the false name Jose Pidal, Lacson has also accused the President’s husband of using the bank accounts of Victoria Toh, his personal accountant-secretary, her brother Thomas and her brother-in-law Kelvin Tan to hide dirty money. 

The presidential spouse, the Tohs and Tan have denied the accusation. 

Victoria Toh, accompanied by her brother Thomas, has been vacationing in Canada since weeks before Lacson’s first speech on Aug. 18. The Tohs and Tan claim they own the multi-million bank accounts that Lacson alleged really belong to the First Gentleman. 

Three Senate committees led by the Blue Ribbon Committee of Sen. Joker Arroyo are looking into Lacson’s accusations against the President’s husband. They have so far held two hearings. 

In the first hearing, the First Gentleman refused to answer questions about the Jose Pidal accounts in UnionBank and BPI Family Bank, pointing to his brother Ignacio or Iggy as the one they should ask. 

About 10 days after Lacson’s first speech, Iggy Arroyo surfaced and claimed he is Jose Pidal. He testified in the second hearing, but he, too, refused to answer questions about the details of his supposed accounts, invoking his right to privacy more than 20 times. 

Like the Arroyos, bank officials refused to talk about the controversial accounts. 

Lacson and his allies in the Pidal inquiry, including Sen. Sergio Osmeña III, said the Arroyos and bank officials are hiding the truth about Jose Pidal and his millions. 

The investigating committees have not held or scheduled a hearing since Congress resumed its session last Monday. — With reports from Mayen Jaymalin