Witness: Arroyo family firm paid for choppers sold to PNP

UPDATED 11:30 a.m. - A witness on Thursday testified before a Senate hearing that an Arroyo family-owned company paid the deposit for the helicopters that were later sold as brand new to the Philippine National Police (PNP). During Thursday's Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on the PNP's multi-million purchase of helicopters in 2009, Robinson helicopter distributor Rene Sia said they have documents proving that an Arroyo family firm paid for the choppers. Sia said they have credit memos from Union Bank and wire transfer certificates from Banco De Oro that would prove that Arroyo's family firm LTA Incorporated paid $500,000 to Robinson Helicopter Co. as deposit for five R44 Raven I choppers in 2004. "Sila po ang nagbayad ng deposito, therefore sila po ang beneficiary," he said. Lion Air, supposedly acting on behalf of former First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo, sold two of his five R44 Raven I choppers to the Manila Aerospace Trading Corporation (MAPTRA). MAPTRA later sold and priced these choppers as brand new to the PNP in 2009. Previous owner of choppers Last week, Lion Air president Archibald Legaspi Po confirmed that Mr. Arroyo was the previous owner of the choppers that were sold as brand new to the PNP. MAPTRA president Hilario De Vera likewise said Mr. Arroyo made a deal with PNP officials so that they would accept the choppers without question. Po and De Vera, however, could not present documentary evidence that Mr. Arroyo was the owner of the controversial choppers. Mike Arroyo begs off from Senate hearing Earlier in the day, Mr. Arroyo, citing health reasons, begged off from the Senate blue ribbon committee's investigation. "Although my client wants to assist the members of your honorable committee in its investigation, it is with my client's deepest regret to inform you that upon the advice of his doctors, he will not be able to attend today's hearing," Mr. Arroyo's lawyer Inocencio Ferrer said in a letter to the Senate blue ribbon committee. Radio dzBB's Nimfa Ravelo quoted Ferrer as saying that Mr. Arroyo also had to keep watch over his wife, former President and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is confined at the St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig City. Mrs. Arroyo will have to go through a third operation after doctors discovered that her first operation developed an infection. In a medical bulletin on Wednesday, attending physician Dr. Juliet Cervantes said Mrs. Arroyo will have to use an external support for her neck because of the infection that dislodged her titanium implants. - VVP/RSJ, GMA News