Lawyer eyes cases vs Arroyo sons over US properties

A prominent activist-lawyer is eyeing at least two cases against presidential sons - Representatives Juan Miguel “Mikey" and Diosdado Ignacio “Dato" Macapagal Arroyo - over properties they acquired after being elected into office. Lawyer Harry Roque Jr. said in a radio interview that he is particularly eyeing charges of perjury and unexplained wealth against the brothers. “Walang kaduda-duda may pera sila, ang tanong saan nanggaling ‘yan. Sa ating batas kapag ang pinanggalingan kung ‘di legal, ill-gotten wealth ‘yan (There is no doubt they have the money to buy the properties. The question is, where did the money come from? If the source of the money is not legal, it is ill-gotten)," Roque said in an interview on dzXL radio. He said the Unexplained Wealth Act will require the brothers to explain how they acquired the properties without paying proper taxes, if they inherited the properties from their parents. A second case will involve perjury, where the two did not include the properties in their Statements of Assets and Liabilities and Net (SALN) worth. “Magkano ang sweldo ng kongresista? Buong akala ko bago sila naging congressman wala siyang napakalaking sweldo o napakalaking negosyo para magkaroon siya ng salapi (How much is a congressman’s salary? I thought that before they became congressmen, they had no big sources of income)," he said. He said that if the two cases are filed, the brothers will have to show they paid the proper taxes if the properties came from their parents. “Either way wala silang lusot (Either way, they have no way out)," he said. On Monday, the brothers denied irregularities in their SALN concerning luxury homes they bought in the United States after they were elected into office. The two Arroyos said they declared all of their properties in their SALNs, contrary to the Vera Files report saying that Mikey did not declare in his 2007 and 2008 SALNs a beachfront property in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. [See: (Update) Arroyo sons deny irregularities in SALNs] The Vera Files report earlier said a house located at 1655 Beach Park Blvd in Foster City in San Mateo County that Mikey bought was not in his 2007 and 2008 SALNs. It said that even if Mikey relinquished to his wife Angela any right to the property, guidelines for the filing of SALNs in the Philippines require public officials to declare property owned by their spouses. [See: Arroyo sons buy luxury US homes after House election] Section 8 of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees says “public officials and employees have an obligation to accomplish and submit declarations under oath of, and the public has the right to know, their assets, liabilities, net worth and financial and business interests including those of their spouses and of unmarried children under 18 years of age living in their households." - GMANews.TV