‘I should have let
my lawyer do the talking’
BY WENDELL VIGILIA
REP. Mikey Arroyo (Lakas-Kampi, Pampanga) yesterday said no one is to blame but himself for his failure to credibly explain the issues surrounding his multimillion wealth, particularly his P63.7-million beach front property in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.
President Arroyo’s eldest son said he looked bad in front of the public because he could not cope with Solita "Winnie" Monsod’s style of questioning when she interviewed him on GMA-7’s "Unang Hirit" Tuesday last week.
"If my answers to those questions seem a little confused, ako lang po ang dapat sisihin. It’s my mistake alone. Sana po I passed on this issue to my accountant, to my lawyer, because they are the ones who actually prepare these documents," he told dzRH.
Mikey, who stuttered during the GMA-7 interview, said Monsod’s interrogatory style may have caused the people to believe that he is guilty of allegations he has ill-gotten wealth.
Arroyo said he could have easily avoided appearing in the early morning show for the interview but he decided to show up to prove he was not hiding anything.
Mikey has said part of his multi-million wealth came from campaign donations, wedding gifts and real property investments, like the San Francisco Bay property which he said was declared in his statement of assets and liabilities and net worth (SALN) as part of his 40 percent shares in the Beach Way Park LLC.
The donations and gifts, he said, were partly the reason his declared net worth ballooned from P5.7 million in 2001 to P74.4 million in 2004 and then to P99.2 million last year.
Ruy Rondain, the Arroyos’ lawyer, said Mikey’s wife, Angela Montenegro, is also "independently wealthy."
Rondain said the campaign contributions and wedding gifts that Mikey had received were all part of the requirements he submitted to the Comelec and in his SALN.
"Congressman Mikey will stand by doon sa lahat ng nakadeklara sa SALN and sa Comelec, yung compliance niya," he said.
VERA Files, which reported on Mikey’s wealth, has said the congressman failed to declare to campaign contributions to the Comelec.
Mikey is the 23rd in the list of richest congressmen with P99 million declared assets while his brother, Rep. Diosdado "Dato" Arroyo (Lakas-Kampi, Camarines Sur), was 28th with P89 million.
Their uncle Rep. Ignacio "Iggy" Arroyo (Lakas-Kampi, Negros Occidental) still had the highest net among them, at P140 million, making him the 13th richest House member.
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