Arroyos ready to face poll fraud accusations - lawyer

Former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband, former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo are prepared to face the accusations by a former Maguindanao official linking the former leader to poll fraud in 2007. But Mrs. Arroyo's lawyer, defeated senatorial bet Raul Lambino, continued to question the credibility and motives of the accuser, former Maguidnanao provincial administrator Norie Unas. "Haharapin nila yan. Madaling magsampa ng kaso, kahit sino pwede sampahan ng anumang kaso. Kahit na sino pwede ring lumabas bilang testigo at mag-imbento ng mga kwento (The Arroyos will face the accusations against them. But it is so easy to file charges and it is so easy to come out as a witness and make unfounded accusations)," Lambino said in an interview on dwIZ radio. On Monday, Unas accused then-President Arroyo of ordering Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr. to ensure the victory of administration senatorial bets in the province in the 2007 polls. He had had served with the Ampatuans from 2001 to 2009, and served as Andal Sr.'s close adviser and spokesman. Andal Sr. and his three sons, Andal Jr., Zaldy, and Akhmad, are implicated in the November 23, 2009 massacre of 57 people in the province. A witness in the crime, Lakmudin Saliao, has told the Quezon City court hearing the massacre case that Unas was present at Andal Sr.'s mansion when the clan plotted the mass killings.

Why only now? Lambino questioned Unas' credibility, asking why he surfaced only now. "Dito natin makikita ano ang kredibilidad ng taong lumalabas tulad ni Mr. Unas at ano ang ginawa niya noong nakaraang panahon sa kanyang buhay at bakit ngayon lang siya lumalabas (Here we can gauge the credibility of witnesses like Unas. Where was he all this time and why did he come out only now)?" he said. He also maintained the timing of Unas' claims are part of a supposed smear job by the Aquino administration against Mrs. Arroyo. "Nakikita natin na kaduda-duda ang timing na ginawa ng Aquino administration laban sa dating Pangulong Arroyo (We can see the timing of the expose is suspect, and this is part of the Aquino administration's efforts against Mrs. Arroyo)," he said. Earlier, the former First Gentleman denied he and his wife had any involvement in the alleged cheating. He also criticized the Aquino administration for its supposed lack of impartiality and fair play as he dismissed Unas’ testimonies as “libel and defamation." "Why should we order cheating? What will we get out of it? It defies both common sense and logic," Mr. Arroyo said in a statement issued Monday. "If evidence and due process are no longer necessary under this current administration…, then what kind of justice can we expect?" he added. — RSJ, GMA News