Aquino: I’m not shocked at corruption in military

By Dona Pazzibugan, Marlon Ramos, Norman Bordadora

Philippine Daily Inquirer

“With the number of cases that are being

discovered nonstop, as I have told those
who report to me, I have already reached
the saturation point,” the President told
reporters after the first anniversary rites of
the new city of Biñan.

“Our litany has been, ‘Pati ba naman yan

… hindi pinalagpas’ (What, even that fund
wasn’t spared)?” he said.

Asked if he was shocked by Mendoza’s

testimony at a House inquiry on Tuesday, Mr. Aquino said: “I already find it difficult to be
shocked. I was already shocked at the number of cases that we’ve come across... It’s really quite
a number.”

Nonetheless, he said, the leadership of the Armed Forces had taken steps to reform the process of
releasing funds and purchasing equipment.

“The office of the comptroller has been split into four offices tasked to effect checks and
balances on each other,” he said.

Mr. Aquino said other reforms in the military were ongoing.

“The idea there is to ensure that the maximum resources are brought down to the field where
they are needed most,” he said.

The President also said the government had offered Mendoza inclusion in the Witness Protection
Program (WPP).

He said that with the considerable number of cases of corruption, he had ordered the Presidential
Management Staff to consolidate all the information and to prepare a briefer for the Department
of Justice to tackle.

Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang said that Malacañang received Mendoza’s request
for security on Monday and that security arrangements were formalized on Tuesday, when she
testified before the House committee on justice that is looking into the plea bargain between state
prosecutors and former AFP comptroller Carlos Garcia.
Carandang told reporters in Manila that Malacañang was monitoring the testimonies of not only
Mendoza at the House but also retired Lt. Col. George Rabusa at the Senate.

“We will decide the course of action once the stories are completed,” he said.

Immunity, protection

Rabusa, who served as military budget officer from 2000 to 2002, Wednesday asked the
Department of Justice (DoJ) to grant him immunity from suit.

He made the move two days after retired AFP chief of staff Angelo Reyes charged him with
graft following his damning revelations on the purported “pabaon” (send-off money) for his
former bosses in the military.

Rabusa also applied for inclusion in the WPP after receiving threats on his life, Justice Secretary
Leila de Lima said in a news briefing.

“Aside from protection, he was asking for immunity because he admitted that he also benefited
[from the irregularities in the military],” De Lima said.

“Since he implicated previous chiefs of staff, this is no minor matter. This is something serious,
as in the case of Heidi Mendoza,” she said.

De Lima said that Rabusa submitted an affidavit in support of his application to the WPP, and
that he promised to file a “more extensive and exhaustive affidavit” detailing his knowledge of
graft and corruption in the military on Monday.

She said Rabusa’s second written statement may serve as a complaint-affidavit that could be
used as basis for the DoJ to conduct a preliminary investigation against Reyes and other former
AFP chiefs of staff Roy Cimatu and Diomedio Villanueva.

“He said he would present documents and possibly a corroborative witness. His lawyer said the
affidavit will be sufficient for preliminary investigation,” she said.

Participant who squealed

In his testimony before the Senate blue ribbon committee last week, Rabusa claimed that the
three former AFP chiefs of staff received hundreds of millions of pesos in start-up funds and
send-off gifts.

According to De Lima, Rabusa told her that he would reveal more information on the irregular
use of military funds at the resumption of his testimony at the Senate on Thursday.

“His testimony can stand as evidence by itself. It’s just a question of credibility—if the court will
believe the credibility of this person and the credibility of his story,” she said.
De Lima said that because he had admitted to direct involvement in the offense, Rabusa could be
granted immunity from lawsuits as a whistle-blower.

She said a whistle-blower was different from an ordinary witness because the former “is right
there in the middle of things, and even irregularities.”

Being a “participant who squealed,” a whistle-blower is very important in unveiling the

significant details of irregularities committed, De Lima said.

“That’s why the legal system provides for immunity in certain cases. But of course there are
considerations and elements that need to be evaluated. It’s like an application [to become a] state
witness,” she said, adding:

“As long as he is not the most guilty, his testimony can be corroborated in its essential points,
and [it] is essential for conviction of those involved, then he’s qualified … for immunity.”

Closed-door meeting

De Lima also said Rabusa’s situation was “one classic example of a case where we need to
[effect] the provisions of immunity.”

Accompanied by his lawyers and security escorts, Rabusa met with WPP acting director Martin
Meñez before meeting with De Lima behind closed doors.

He declined to speak with reporters, saying he was not feeling well and had difficulty speaking.

De Lima said Rabusa and his lawyer Noel Malaya disclosed the threats they had been receiving
on their mobile phones.

One of the purported text messages sent to Malaya asked what was more important to him—
popularity or his family.

De Lima said she would ask Integrated Bar of the Philippines president Roan Libarios to issue a
statement condemning the purported harassment of Malaya.

“Lawyers are just lawyers. Why are they involving the lawyers in these things? Why are they
threatening the lawyer?” she said.

During the hourlong meeting with Rabusa, De Lima said, he clearly looked anxious “although he
tried to show a brave front.”

“You can sense that he’s afraid, especially for his family. The only thing that keeps him strong is
the thought of doing something for the good of future generations,” De Lima said.

Asked to describe her meeting with Rabusa, she replied: “I could feel his sincerity and his
credibility.” With a report from Christine O. Avendaño