October 15, 2003, Star, 'Lacson must show hard proof on Pidal or pipe down', by Marichu Villanueva,

October 15, 2003, Star, 'Lacson must show hard proof on Pidal or pipe down', by Marichu Villanueva,

President Arroyo threw down the gauntlet yesterday to Sen. Panfilo Lacson to produce hard proof of her supposed use of government funds for her political campaign activities. 

"Senator Lacson must show proof or pipe down," Mrs. Arroyo said. 

"Even as President, I have never used my office to malign anyone without proof. Senator Lacson should review his lessons in basic justice and fair play, and most of all in democratic leadership," she said. 

In the third part of his exposé against First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo last Monday, the opposition lawmaker also accused Mrs. Arroyo of covering up for her husband’s misdeeds in maintaining bank accounts for money laundering activities under the name "Jose Pidal." 

Lacson slammed Mrs. Arroyo for using money from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to fund the printing and distribution of the "Run GMA Run" posters sprouting over Metro Manila weeks before she declared her candidacy in the 2004 presidential elections on Oct. 4. 

Without going into specifics on the allegations hurled against her by the senator, Mrs. Arroyo simply made a blanket denial. 

"No government institution has ever or will ever be used in a partisan campaign under my administration," she said. 

But the President turned the tables against Lacson. "He (Lacson) has already caused severe damage to the institutional integrity of the Senate and to the very principle of fair and impartial justice," she said. 

"I ask the people not to lend respect and credence to such leaders who use the mantle of parliamentary immunity to spread falsehood," she said. 

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye took up the cudgels for Mrs. Arroyo by claiming Lacson is "on the verge of desperation" in his attempt to link the President after failing to justify his accusations against the First Gentleman. 

Other than Mrs. Arroyo issuing the denial, Bunye pointed out the statements of two lawmakers who were allegedly privy to the checks issued by erstwhile Manila congressman Mark Jimenez for her campaign contributions. 

Bunye pointed out the statements made by Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay and Manila Rep. Willie Villarama who both refuted Lacson’s claims that Jimenez supposedly issued the checks to Mrs. Arroyo. 

Pichay accompanied Jimenez to the US last year in facing charges of mail fraud and illegal campaign contributions. The former Manila lawmaker is under house arrest and awaiting the final ruling of the Florida court on the case. 

Both officials also condemned Lacson in dragging Jimenez into the controversy. 

Pichay and Villarama said they talked to Jimenez after Lacson delivered his privilege speech last Monday. 

"Mark expressed his disappointment to me. In the midst of his difficulties in the US, Senator Lacson has still attempted to drag him into his vendetta against the Arroyos," Villarama said. 

For his part, Pichay said: "Congressman Jimenez scoffed when I relayed to him what Senator Lacson has been claiming. He said if this is true, then why doesn't the senator come out with this already instead of merely threatening to do so?" 

On the issue of funding the posters for Mrs. Arroyo, Bunye pointed out PCSO records are public documents which can be accessed by anybody to verify the allegations. 

He said this could be verified by the Commission on Audit (COA) or by the PCSO officials themselves for those who doubt the denials made by the President. 

Bunye said the so-called Chapter Three of the Jose Pidal exposé of Lacson "has no effect." 

Lawyer Jesus Santos, counsel of the First Gentleman, said the disclosures made by Lacson was merely a rehash of the charges from his two earlier speeches. 

He said Lacson will still continue doing this to deflect public attention from the Kuratong Baleleng multiple murder case, in which he is among the principal accused. 

"He has no other recourse but to keep coming out with bombshells, even if he has no evidence," Santos said.