MANILA, Philippines – The Senate Blue Ribbon committee resumes Friday public hearings on alleged corruption at the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) with two former AFP chiefs of staff – Generals Diomedio Villanueva and Roy Cimatu – expected to attend and defend themselves against accusations they received a total of P240 million in “pabaon’’ (retirement send off). Sen. Teofisto L. Gujingona III, chairman of the Blue Ribbon committee, said the fourth public hearing on the issue would be devoted to “wrapping up the situation’’ with those named by whistleblower, retired Lt. Col. George Rabusa, a former AFP auditor, given the opportunity to rebut allegations of corruption.
The “pabaon’’ controversy had linked former Armed Forces chief of staff and defense secretary Angelo Reyes to the alleged misuse of military funds. Reyes later committed suicide and was buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
Rabusa claimed during the hearings that Reyes received P5 million pesos months in official and personal allowance while AFP chief of staff and P50 million in “pabaon” when he retired in 2001, while other AFP finance officers gave P180 million to Villanueva and P60 million to Cimatu upon their retirement.
Both generals vehemently denied Rabusa’s claims.
In earlier hearings, Senate President Pro Tempore Jose “Jinggoy’’ Estrada had asked pointblank retired Lt. Gen. Jacinto Ligot, a former AFP comptroller, whether his wife, Erlinda, had acted as a dummy for Reyes’ wife, Teresita, in buying a more than $400,000 house in Anaheim, California.
Mario Casuyuran, Manila Bulletin
