4th Arroyo in the House: A landed elite who will represent the marginalized

MANILA, Philippines - The fourth Arroyo who will join the 14th Congress and is expected to give voice to the marginalized through party-list group Kasangga, belongs to the haciendero clans of the Tuasons and the Arroyos. Ma. Lourdes “Marilou" Tuason Arroyo is the sister of First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike" Arroyo and Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio “Iggy" Arroyo, and the aunt of Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey" Arroyo and Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado “Dato" Arroyo. Music lover Ms. Arroyo, described in magazine articles as a philanthropist and a music lover, was once the wife of musician-businessman Ramon “RJ" Jacinto, owner of radio and television network Rajah Broadcasting Network, Inc. Ms. Arroyo is now married to violinist John Lesaca. The couple founded JPL Multi-Media Dynamic Entertainment and Management Corp. or JPL Demcorp on October 19, 1990. JPL Demcorp was created to “fulfill the need for a formal organization to implement, manage, provide investment for enterprises, and to undertake, carry on, assist or participate in the promotion, organization, management or production of concerts, stage shows (and) recordings." Ms. Arroyo is JPL Demcorp’s president and chief operating officer, while Lesaca is the company chairman and chief executive officer. Not the first time in the House This is not the first time that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s sister-in-law will work in the House of Representatives. Mikey Arroyo listed his aunt as one of his relatives working in the government as personal secretary III of Rep. Iggy Arroyo. Before she became nominee of Kasangga, Ms. Arroyo was reportedly being convinced to challenge Iloilo Rep. Ferjenel Biron in the 2007 elections. In an interview in 2007, Ms. Arroyo was quoted as saying that the 45,000-strong Kasangga organized in 2004, was advocating micro-entrepreneurial growth. She reportedly said that one of Kasangga’s aims was to pass laws that would help the poor from falling prey to “5-6" loans. In its blog site, Kasangga said the group was founded for micro-entrepreneurs such as vendors and jeep and tricycle operators who believe that small-scale businesses are the backbone of the economy. Administration front? However, critics of Kasangga claim that the organization is one of the 22 party-list groups fronting for the administration to ensure that President Arroyo’s allies will continue dominating the House of Representatives. According to party-list group Akbayan, Kasangga is a member of Sigaw ng Bayan, the group headed by Raul Lambino that led moves for Charter change through people’s initiative. Akbayan further claims that Kasangga is connected with the Palace’s Office of External Affairs. Akbayan says that Kasangga’s officers include Cristeta Absolor, regional director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Elizabeth Manuel, reportedly the acting executive director of the Philippine Trade Training Center. Vote-padding? In the 2007 elections, Bayan Muna party-list claimed that vote-padding occurred in at least 11 precincts in Caloocan City for Kasangga. Poll watchers led by Daniel Cleofas Jr were reported to have witnessed the tampering of votes in favor of Kasangga. On Thursday, April 23, Deputy minority leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo said his group would check whether Ms. Arroyo belonged to the marginalized sector that Kasangga represents. "If it isn't marginalized, we can question Kasangga and its nominee," Ocampo said. But the Palace is taking the cudgels for President Arroyo’s sister-in-law. “They can cry their hearts out to all their disgust but that has been supported by our Constitution. That whenever you win an election you have a mandate to follow...I am not just saying a particular personality but any Filipino who wins an election," said Palace spokesman Anthony Golez. - Annie Ruth C. Sabangan, GMANews.TV