PNoy: Mayuga report did not implicate Arroyo in alleged '04 poll fraud

President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday said the Mayuga report — the product of an inquiry that looked into the alleged involvement of military officials in the purported fraud that marred the 2004 polls — did not implicate former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at all. In an interview with reporters in Malacañang, Aquino said this was because the probers at the time changed their line of questioning when the answers of the resource persons were beginning to point to the former Philippine leader. "I don’t recall that it pointed in that particular direction (involvement of Mrs. Arroyo). Ang issue nga kasi parang mag-uumpisa na baka tumungo dun hininto yung pagtatanong dun sa linyang yun tapos chinange topic," he said. The report was prepared by former Navy Flag Officer-in-Command Vice Admiral Mateo Mayuga, who headed the panel tasked to look into the alleged involvement of several military officers in the 2004 "poll fraud." Asked if there was a deliberate attempt on the part of the panel not to implicate Mrs. Arroyo on the alleged 2004 electoral fraud, Aquino said he cannot say. "Mahirap sabihin yan dahil you are talking already of intentions. How do you prove intentions? There are lawyers who tell us that it is very difficult to unearth what was operating in the mind of the person at that time," he said. Aquino said he only read the briefer on the Mayuga report and it was the Presidential Management Staff that reviewed the documents contained in six boxes. "Ang sabi nga nila (PMS) paulit ulit, nung napupunta sa delicate topic nililihis yung line of questioning by those who were [doing the] questioning," he said. Past prescriptive period He further said that those supposedly involved in the fraud could no longer be indicted under the Omnibus Election Code as it is now past the prescriptive period of five years. "Nandun na tayo sa [prescriptive] period, five years yung time limit bago magsampa ng kaso. Paalala ko lang June 30, 2010 tayo nakapasok sa pwesto... by that time [na] nandun [na] tayo, tapos na," he said. "Kung ang habol natin dito e yung eleksyon ng 2004, hindi na linyang bukas sa atin yung paghahabla under the Omnibus Election Code," he added. Find other violations Because of this, Aquino said he ordered Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to study the Mayuga report and see if she will find other violations of the law. "Pinag-aaralan ngayon ng DOJ ano ba ang mga pwedeng violations of the law na hindi election related na lang. Merong mga allegations na me dumadalaw na mataas na mga opisyal o kung hindi man opisyal matataas na mga tao nung dating administrasyon sa mga kampo bago nung halalan. Ano yung instructions etc," Aquino said. He believed the DOJ can make use of the testimonies of those who earlier surfaced to expose the supposed election fraud such as retired Marine Brig. Gen. Francisco Gudani. "May mga lumantad at nagsalita tulad ni Gen. Gudani na pwedeng mabalikan muli at mabigyan ng pagkakataon na masabi lahat ng kanilang nalalaman," he said. "Baka me violations sa Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. Andaming potential na pwedeng pasukan. Ang sinasabi lang natin ay yung elections (nung 2004) mismo ay hindi kabahagi," he said. Review of Mayuga report De Lima, for her part, said the Mayuga report will be part of the documents to be reviewed by the joint committee of the DOJ and Commission on Elections. "Yung Mayuga report ay kasama sa irereview ng joint committee because that can be the jump off dun sa mga titignan namin na participation ng military officers and personnel," she said. "Kagaya ng sinabi ni Presidente na may mga kulang kulang, may gaps, kung masyadong sensitibo yung usapin ay nalilihiis in the course of the investigation. We will find out exactly what are those gaps and kung pwede pa matanong yung mga issues na yun sa involved personalities," she added. De Lima believed that the report, though cannot be used to file cases against those involved in the 2004 electoral fraud, will be able to shed light on other issues. "Kung meron nga talagang hindi na pwedeng makasuhan then at least andyan on record merong findings, andyan ang katotohanan, yun naman ang pinaka-agenda natin-- yung katotohanan," she said. — RSJ, GMA News