Bacalzo: Case vs Mike Arroyo not meant to preempt Senate probe

Philippine National Police chief Director General Raul Bacalzo on Tuesday said they had no intentions of preempting the Senate when they filed plunder charges against former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and other individuals linked to the allegedly anomalous purchase of choppers in 2009. Bacalzo said the filing was only the implementation of PNP's promise to the Senate to file the charges to the personalities allegedly involved in the supposed anomaly. "With due respect to the Senate, that's never the intention of the PNP… to preempt the result of the Senate investigation. The intention was more of our compliance with our manifestation to the Senate hearing," he said. The Senate blue ribbon committee is in the middle of its investigation on the supposed purchase of second-hand helicopters that were passed on as brand new to the national police force. Aside from the PNP's commitment to senators, Bacalzo said they also filed the complaints so that the police leadership could not be accused of "foot-dragging" on the controversy. "The [Criminal Investigation and Detection Group] believes that the evidence available now including the evidence submitted or unraveled before the hearing... are sufficient to file a case," he said. Bacalzo, who is set to retire on Sept. 15, said the Senate also furnished them copies of pertinent documents related to the controversy. He also said further investigation is ongoing, and could still lead to the filing of a supplemental complaint. Several witnesses who appeared in the Senate inquiry had testified that Mr. Arroyo was the owner of two of the three choppers bought by the PNP as brand new in 2009. He has denied the allegation. The PNP filed the plunder complaint against Mr. Arroyo and 16 others, including some active PNP officials, Friday last week with the Office of the Ombudsman. Iggy Arroyo Bacalzo said so far, the PNP has not yet come across evidence to implicate Mr. Arroyo's brother, Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio "Iggy" Arroyo, but said additional cases could arise from the CIDG's ongoing investigation. Iggy earlier said his brother did not own the Robinson helicopters sold to the PNP since they were only leased from Lionair Inc., the company owned by Archibald Po, who had linked the former First Gentleman to the scandal. Bacalzo said the police officials charged in the plunder case could not yet be relieved from their post because the Office of the Ombudsman has yet to establish probable cause to elevate the matter to the Sandiganbayan, the anti-graft court. "I think it is a principle of due process that every person suspected of wrongdoings should be given a day in court, given a day in the Ombudsman. And once a probable cause is established, then by all means, they should be removed from their posts," he said. - KBK, GMA News