'24 Oras': BIR looks into Dato Arroyo's SALN

Less than a month after the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) filed a tax evasion case against Party-list Congressman Mikey Arroyo and his wife, the agency is looking into the properties of another son of former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. According to GMA News' "24 Oras," BIR Chairman Kim Henares confirmed that the bureau had asked for a copy of Camarines Sur 1st Distrcit Representative Diosdado "Dato" Arroyo. "Just because we requested for a SALN (Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth ) of anyone, it doesn't mean that it will progress into a full blown investigation. We just have to be satisfied on the presumption that there seems to be nothing wrong," she clarified.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV On April 7, the BIR filed a tax evasion case against Mikey Arroyo and his wife, Angela, requiring the couple to pay P73.85 million in aggregate tax liabilities accumulated from 2004 to 2009. [http://www.gmanews.tv/story/217150/bir-files-p7385-million-tax-evasion-raps-vs-mikey-wife] In the same interview on "24 Oras," Dato Arroyo said he was open to being investigated but questioned the agency's motives behind the investigation. "Kung totoo ng po ang inuulit-ulit nila na hindi sila nangungursunada, bakit sa mga naiisip lang nilang kalaban ng administrasyon ito ginagawa? Bakit po hindi ganoon and pagbusisi sa mga taga-majority or mga miyembro ng gabinete?" he said in a statement. A copy of Datu Arroyo's SALN revealed that the Congressman's wealth has accumulated since 2007. As of December 31, 2009 he has a declared worth of P90,393,344.95. He has also acquired more properties since 2007, including a condominium unit in San Francisco, USA. The palace had earlier clarified that they were not targeting the Arroyos or their allies. Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said that they were "going after people who have escaped impunity for the past several years." Earlier, Mikey Arroyo had accused the Aquino administration of being the brainchild of the tax evasion case against him, saying that it was the administration's latest "gimmick." Henares said that they were also investigating other congressmen but she did not name them. — Bea Cupin/VS, GMA News