New Jueteng Witness

'Jueteng lord' gave P300M to Arroyo campaign -- Mendoza

Veronica Uy
INQ7.net

INCUMBENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo received 300 million pesos for her 2004 presidential campaign from an alleged "jueteng lord," according to a military officer at the resumption of a Senate inquiry on the illegal numbers game.

Army Captain Marlon Mendoza, assigned as chief security officer of former Commission on Elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, claimed that he heard the poll official boast in a drinking spree that Rodolfo "Bong" Pineda contributed 300 million pesos to Arroyo's campaign kitty.

"I distinctly heard Garcillano say that Bong Pineda gave 300 million pesos for the President's success in the elections," he said.

Mendoza said his former "boss" made the boast when they were together in Naga City. He said he was with Garcillano between April and June 2004.

Prefacing his testimony with a speech on how much he loved the Philippines, Mendoza proceeded to say that Garcillano regularly met with Malacañang officials, including one Butch Pakinggan from the Office of then executive secretary Alberto Romulo, at the Diamond Hotel in Manila.

Garcillano also met with Batangas Governor Arman Sanchez, also an alleged to be a big-time "jueteng" operator, Mendoza said.

Mendoza, a witness of Senator Panfilo Lacson, attended the hearing despite a warning from his superiors who reminded him on Tuesday that he had pending charges for allegedly violating provisions in the Articles of War.

Former Isabela governor Faustino Dy Jr., who was also invited to the hearings by Senator Manuel Villar, co-chairman of the Senate inquiry on "jueteng," is not expected to attend.

Both Mendoza and Dy will supposedly corroborate the testimony of former Malacañang employee Michaelangelo Zuce, who had revealed initially that "jueteng" money was used to pay off election supervisors and regional directors in the President's La Vista home in Quezon City.

Senator Manuel Lapid, a co-chairman, had wanted to terminate the hearings but Villar said these would continue for as long as there were witnesses that would be endorsed by either Archbishop Oscar Cruz or any senator.