Statement of Atty Ferdinand Topacio re alleged misuse of Malampaya funds #porkbarrel

STAMENT OF ATTY. FERDINAND TOPACIO, SPOKESMAN AND LEGAL COUNSEL OF FORMER FIRST GENTLEMAN JOSE MIGUEL ARROYO, ON REPORTS LINKING HIM TO THE ALLEGED MISUSE OF MALAMPAYA FUNDS.

"Once again, the Aquino Administration is on a witchhunt, led by its Chief Inquisitor, the Secretary of Justice. And once more, it is once again making use of discredited methods of persecution such as innuendo, half-truths, convoluted logic and guilt by association, to pursue this nefarious end.

"For the record, Atty. Jose Miguel Arroyo wishes to make the following of record, and invites anyone to check these facts for themselves using any means at their disposal:

"1. Ruby Tuason is the estranged wife of his late first cousin, Carlos "Butch" Tuason, and therefore their relationship is one merely of affinity or law, and not of blood;

"2.At the time the alleged transactions regarding the Malampaya funds are concerned, Ruby Tuason had been separated from Butch Tuason, who at that time was already deceased, after having been in a long-term relationship with another woman. At this point, whatever connections Atty. Arroyo may have had with Ms. Tuason may be deemed to have been severed; and

"3. Atty. Arroyo has had no dealings whatsoever with Ruby Tuason. They hardly even meet. The last time Atty. Arroyo saw Ms. Ruby Tuason was at the wake of his cousin Butch Tuason sometime in June of 2008. Thereafter, the two never had occasion to meet.

"Thus, any insinuation that Atty. Arroyo may have been the recipient of any funds received by Ms. Tuason from Malampaya or any other source for that matter, is not only malicious and libelous, but fantastical and belongs in the realm of fiction.

"Sec. De Lima, being the highest government official tasked with the prosecution of crimes and the enforcement of the law, must exercise greater circumspection in making public statements without any iota of proof, lest she becomes like the proverbial 'boy who cried wolf' totally undeserving of belief. Verily, her latest attempt to link the former First Gentleman to another so-called "scam" before any proof has even been produced is merely, to quote Shakespeare, 'a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

"It is significant to note that none of the 'whistleblowers' in the Malampaya fund have pointed to Atty. Arroyo as being involved in whatever capacity and in any stage, thus demonstrating the thinness of the government's accusation against him.

"We appeal and challenge the present government to build its cases first, before shooting its mouth off, to avoid the hilarious spectacle of the courts rebuffing it at every turn whenever it touts the filing of cases against its perceived enemies. The legal team of Atty. Arroyo is always ready to disprove the malicious allegations against our client in court, where the battle properly belongs, and not to the hooting throng being whipped up into a lynching frenzy by an administration to cover up its lack of solid achievements and divert public attention away from its own scandals and anomalies." #30#

REFERENCE:

ATTY. FERDINAND S.TOPACIO 0917-597-6666/571-02-70

Source:
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