THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR PALACE PAYOFF
LIABLE FOR BRIBERY, MALVERSATION OF FUNDS

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) today said the distribution of huge sums of money to the congressmen and local chief executives by Malacañang without any accompanying disbursement papers is proof enough that it is a bribe.

Pimentel said that because there are no disbursement vouchers and receipts when the money was handed to these public officials, they could pocket or spend it for any purpose, personal or otherwise, without any accountability.

Some 190 administration congressmen reportedly received from P200,000 to P500,000 at the end of a meeting with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Malacañang Thursday.

The report also said about 40 provincial governors received P200,000 to P500,000 while several mayors received smaller amounts after a separate meeting with the President at the Palace on the same day.

"Given the circumstances behind the distribution of the money, it is obviously intended to buy support for the President in the face of new impeachment moves against her," Pimentel said.

He noted that the money changed hands on the same day that a weak impeachment complaint was endorsed to the committee on justice of the House of Representatives.

Pimentel said that governors and mayors were given their share of the bonanza because the Palace has intended to use them to rally behind the President over the impeachment issue - a practice that had been repeatedly done before whenever Mrs. Arroyo was facing political crisis.

Pimentel said that if the money came from the public coffers, whoever was responsible for it can be liable not only for malversation of public funds punishable under the Revised Penal Code.

He said whether the money came from the President's Social Fund, confidential/intelligence/discretionary funds or any other public funds, this should be accompanied by proper disbursement papers for accounting and auditing purposes.

"If the money came from private sources, what are they expecting in return?" he asked.

Pimentel said no amount of denial by Palace officials and their political allies would convince the public that the alleged payoff did not take place because this has already been admitted by some of the participants in the Palace meetings - notably Pampanga Governor Fr. Ed Panlilio, Bulacan Governor Joselito Mendoza and Cebu Rep. Antonio Cuenco.

He also said the more Malacañang officials try to conceal the payoff, the more it becomes evident that they are lying because of their conflicting explanations.

On the justification that the money was intended as campaign funds for candidates in the Oct. 29 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, Pimentel said this is ridiculous because these are non-partisan political exercises.

He said that if the money used came from party funds of Lakas or Kampi, why was Gov. Panlilio, who does not belong to any administration party, given a P500,000 bounty?