By JOSEPH HOLANDES UBALDE
Interaksyon.com
THE owner of the Manila Aerospace Products Trading Corp., which sold two pre-owned helicopters refurbished to seem brand new to the Philippine National Police, claimed on Tuesday that Jose Miguel Arroyo, husband of the former president, ordered the irregular transaction.
Hilario de Vera told the Senate Blue Ribbon committee that Archibald Po, president of helicopter dealer Lionair Incorporated, told him in 2009 that Arroyo wanted to sell the second-hand choppers to the PNP at a time when the police were looking to purchase three helicopters.
Before de Vera’s testimony, Po had asked to be enrolled in government’s witness protection program in exchange for immunity from suit.
When asked by Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile whether he had received any threats, Po said, “There have been many phone calls.” However, Enrile asked why Po would want to seek enrollment in the WPP when “you can afford to secure yourself” by hiring security personnel.
He also reminded Po that “you entered into a contract, you knew the dangers involved. My God, it’s your responsibility to cooperate with this committee.”
Senator Franklin Drilon cut in and clarified that Po was apparently seeking “protection from prosecution,” which the businessman confirmed he was.
Enrile said he had “a problem” with this, pointing out that Po “might be the inducing party” and an “indispensable party” to the irregularity.
During his testimony, de Vera said Po relayed Arroyo’s alleged orders during several conversations they had at the LionAir offices at the Manila Domestic Airport in 2009, when the purchases happened.
The Maptra president claimed he had voiced his apprehensions to Po several times, including asking the LionAir executive if they sell only one pre-owned chopper. To which Po allegedly insisted that these were Arroyo’s instructions.
In at least two instances, de Vera said, Po told him that the PNP “will accept whatever you deliver because they are already under the orders of FG (First Gentleman Arroyo).”
De Vera’s testimony bolstered Senator Panfilo Lacson’s earlier expose that Arroyo owned the refurbished helicopters. Lacson said the two helicopters had already logged flight times of 512 hours on average.
The Maptra executive told the Senate committee after handing in his sworn affidavit that he feared for his safety.
“I know that in my willingness to come out in the open, there are consequences that I have to bear,” De Vera said in his opening statement. “Nonetheless, I have to be man enough to face them.”
Last Thursday, police Superintendent Claudio Gaspar Jr. told the senators he knew the choppers had been flown in the past but was unaware the PNP bought them as brand new.
Aside from being part of the 16-man PNP Inspection Team that checked the choppers, Gaspar also piloted the two helicopters when these were used by the Arroyo family in 2004.
Gaspar said he frequently ferried then Pampanga Representative Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo to Pampanga using the LionAir helicopter with serial number 1372 in 2004.
In his expose, Lacson said the prices of the refurbished helicopters were marked up by at least six times the standard price at the time the purchase was sealed on September 24, 2009.
Lacson said his investigation showed the two Robinson R44 Raven 1 choppers had already been extensively used by several people, including former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her family, before being sold to the PNP.
Lacson said the two choppers were already five years old and valued at only $100,000 (roughly P4 million) based on 2004 standards, and $348,000 (roughly P17 million) by 2011 standards.
Only one of the choppers was actually brand new and would cost $348,000 or about P18 million by 2011 prices.
But the PNP bought the three aircraft from Maptra for P104.9 million (or P30 million each) in 2009.
The committee called an investigation into the so-called overpriced choppers to determine whether the purchase of these aircraft during the Arroyo administration was a violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act or Republic Act 3019.