Palace reiterates call for Arroyo to face charges

While it “respects" her silence for now, Malacañang on Saturday reiterated its call to former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo to face the accusations of graft and poll fraud against her. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte made the call to Arroyo, who declined to talk to media after arriving Saturday morning from a trip to Europe. “Nirerespeto natin at the moment bakit hindi siya nagbigay ng pahayag, baka magkokonsulta siya sa abogado. Pero tulad ng sabi ni Rep. (Milagros) Magsaysay, dapat sagutin niya ang allegation laban sa kanya," Valte said on government-run dzRB radio. Arroyo, who arrived with husband Jose Miguel at 8:49 a.m. on a KLM flight, declined to talk to media. Her security aides kept media away while she made her way to her vehicle. Earlier this week, militant lawmakers filed graft and plunder charges against Arroyo for her alleged misuse of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) funds while she was president. On the other hand, suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao governor Zaldy Ampatuan and former elections officer Lintang Bedol linked Arroyo to poll fraud in 2004 and 2007. But Arroyo’s legal spokesman, defeated senatorial candidate Raul Lambino, dismissed the accusations as part of a “massive, well-funded campaign" by Malacañang. Valte branded Lambino’s claim as unfair, but not unexpected. “I think kay Lambino that’s par for the course, that’s understandable, abogado kasi siya ni Arroyo (I think for Lambino, that’s par for the course. That’s understandable because he is now a lawyer for Congresswoman Arroyo)," she said. — LBG, GMA News