Mike Arroyo previous owner of PNP choppers — supplier

UPDATED 3:44 p.m. - The supplier of the two used helicopters that were sold as new to the Philippine National Police (PNP) confirmed on Tuesday that the aircraft were previously owned by former First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo. During Tuesday's blue ribbon committee hearing on the alleged misrepresentations in the PNP's multi-million purchase of helicopters, Lion Air president Archibald Legaspi Po said Mr. Arroyo approached him in 2003 to inquire about chartering helicopters. [For more backgrounder on Po, see Newsbreak article on him.] Po said he told the former First Gentleman that all their available choppers were already loaned to the late actor Fernando Poe Jr. At the time, Poe was running against Mike Arroyo's wife, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, for the presidency in the 2004 polls. "I oflered to him the Robinson R44 Raven 1 helicopters, five units of which would be the price for just one European helicopter. FG then told me to go ahead, buy him five (5) Robinson helicopters," he said. He said Mr. Arroyo even remitted $475,000 as deposit. He likewise revealed that Mr. Arroyo asked that the importation of the choppers be coursed through Po's other company — Asian Spirit — because it would make the importation tax free. "I agreed to FG's proposal, and the helicopters were delivered to Asian Spirit at the Clark Export Processing Zone," he said. Denial But lawyer Inocencio Ferrer Jr., the former First Gentleman’s counsel, denied Po’s allegations, saying the businessman was just "trying to extricate himself." "There is no truth to Mr. Po’s claims dragging my client to this controversy which appears to be a business transaction of Po which has gone awry," Ferrer said. He even threatened to file perjury charges against Po for giving false statements during the Senate hearing. Eearly last month, Mr. Arroyo had denied selling used helicopters to the PNP in 2009. Mr. Arroyo said the Volco helicopter, which previously belonged to their family firm LTA Incorporated, was sold to another private company, contrary to allegations by Sen. Panfilo Lacson that it was procured by the PNP. "The chopper issue is nothing but another sordid exercise to further malign our name. This is again part of the continuing persecution to mask the lackadaisical performance of this administration to the detriment of the Filipino people," he said in a statement back then. Delivery of choppers At the Senate hearing, Po said the first two choppers were delivered on March 12, 2004; the two others on March 17, 2004; and the last one on March 24, 2004. Po said Mr. Arroyo later on asked him to sign five deeds of sale for the choppers where the name of the indicated buyer was left blank, copies of which were supposedly kept by the former First Gentleman. Since the delivery, he said the five helicopters were used and operated by Mr. Arroyo, although one crashed and was declared total loss in 2007. "Mv company Lion Air provided the maintenance services to the five helicopters, and we sent the bills to FG, who paid for them in cash," he said. Po said that sometime in 2006, Mr. Arroyo told him that he was selling the remaining helicopters at $350,000 each. He said he told the former First Gentleman was "on the high side" for pre-owned choppers but Mr. Arroyo allegedly told him that was the price he was willing to sell the aircraft. "To facilitate the sale, l advised FG that we needed Asian Spirit to sell the helicopters to Lion Air so that custom duties and taxes could properly be paid before the helicopters were sold to third parties. On FG's assent, we effected Asian Spirit's sale initially of two of his helicopters to Lion Air," he said. He identified the two helicopters as those with serial numbers 1374 and 1372. In March 2009, Po said the Manila Aerospace Trading Corporation (MAPTRA) asked Lion Air to tender a proposal for the sale of four pre-owned helicopters. He said they submitted their proposal to MAPTRA on March 24, 2009. He said MAPTRA later on asked them to revise their proposal for only three pre-owned helicopters. "We subrnitted the proposal as revised the following day, 25 March 2009. As revised, the price as adjusted amounted to $448,173.73 for each of the pre-owned helicopters, or a total of $1,344,512.20 for the three (3) pre-owned helicopters," Po said. But he said the proposal was later on revised to indicate the sale of only two pre-owned units and one brand new helicopter. On Nov. 23, 2009, Lion Air and MAPTRA signed and executed the deed of absolute sale for two pre-owned helicopters with serial numbers 1374 and 1372. Po said he gave Arroyo $700,000 for the two choppers "In the last week of December 2009, we delivered and turned over the two pre-owned helicopters to MAPTRA. On April 16, 2010, MAPTRA paid us the purchase price in full, and then delivered and turned over the full payment of MAPTRA to FG," he said. Po noted, however, that he no longer had any personal knowledge about what happened to the choppers after they were delivered to MAPTRA. During the previous Senate hearing, it was revealed that MAPTRA sold and priced the said helicopters as brand new to the PNP. During the same hearing, Supt. Claudio Gaspar Jr. also confirmed that he used to pilot the two choppers, which were used by the first family when former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was still in power. Gaspar noted, however, that from what he understood, the choppers were owned by Lion Air and not the former First Family. — with Andreo Calonzo/RSJ/HS, GMA News