Trillanes: AFP corruption probe may include Arroyo
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Thursday said the Senate inquiry on the alleged corruption in the military may be expanded to look into the possible involvement of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. "Masyadong malaki ho kasi yung perang involved...sa Malacañang lang nagrerelease ng mga ganoong level (That kind of money is too big, only Malacañang can release that)," said Trillanes. "It's not far fetched. Basta't kung saan man ito (investigation) makarating doon natin ito dadalhin," Trillanes told reporters in an interview on Thursday. He made the statement after claiming that aside from former defense chief Angelo Reyes, other people may be behind Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, who allegedly amassed more than P300 million during his stint as Armed Forces comptroller. Garcia was also accused of being behind the pay-offs in the military, which supposedly includes the P160-million pabaon for former AFP chief of staff Diomedio Villanueva. Trillanes refused to divulge, however, who the person Garcia was allegedly fronting for. "We cannot preempt anything. We'll have to produce the necessary evidence bago tayo pumunta doon (before we go there)," Trillanes said. However, he explained that Reyes' emissary had earlier told him that the former Defense chief was allegedly aware of the big transactions of his superiors. "Meron daw transaksyon na dumadaan sa kanya galing sa taas pero wala daw siyang kinukuha doon (He said there were transactions from above that pass through him. But he said that he did not get anything from it)," he said. Reyes, a former military chief, headed the Defense Department from 2001 to middle of 2003. Garcia was military comptroller from March 2001 to September 2003. Based on the statement of former AFP fund manager Col. George Rabusa, Reyes allegedly received around P100 million when he was AFP chief of staff and not less than P50 million more as "pabaon" (send-off money) when he retired in March 2001. Trillanes said even if Garcia will keep invoking his right against self-incrimination and refuses to talk, someone else will. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, however, said they still have to obtain evidence linking Arroyo to the alleged corruption in the military. "We cannot just call anybody out of hearsay of anybody. There must be clear connection, linkage to the issue involved," he said in a separate interview on Thursday. - VVP, GMA News