"PINASWATCHER" CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF THE PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER ON MIKEY ARROYO

click this to read the article:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090903-223295/Mi...
Click this to watch the interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q0JKzpjh_o

Clips of his Tuesday interview with GMA 7s Unang Hirit were uploaded to the video-sharing website YouTube, triggering nasty comments—many of them apparently not fit for newspaper publication—from angry Web users.

One viewer described the lawmaker as the worlds dum... criminal.(Mikey) sucks at defending himself. If he is in court, hell be (cited) for contempt for utter stu..., another commented.Another viewer said Mikey hanged himself on national TV with the way he explained how his net worth jumped from P5 million in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) in 2002 to P99 million last year.Take note of (his) facial expressions and the tone of his voice. Talagang sinu. . . (Hes really a li...), one viewer said.Another stu... son of a corrupt politician. This is exactly what happens when you have a big f_ _ _ing ego to go on air to show everyone how much assets you try to hide, said another. Mikey, isa kang ... (youre st...)!

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita Wednesday said the Palace was confident that the eldest son of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, herself under scrutiny for her growing wealth while in office, could answer the issue adequately to the satisfaction of everybody.

How to earn millions

But Web users were not satisfied with his explanation when they saw the two-part video clip, titled Mikey Arroyo on Media Suicide with Igan & Winnie Monsod—How Do You Earn Millions?

The clips were viewed 8,888 times as of Wednesday afternoon and solicited a total of 258 comments.

In the interview, broadcaster and economist Winnie Monsod, armed with copies of Mikeys SALNs, confronted the congressman on how he accumulated all his wealth given his salary as a government employee.

YouTube viewers noticed how the lawmaker repeatedly tried to dodge the question only to be cornered by Monsod each time.

Gifts, campaign contributions

Finally in the second clip, a seemingly exasperated Mikey said: Lets put it this way. Alam nyo kasi, syempre unang-una, kinasal tayo. Medyo nagkaroon tayo ng maraming regalo. Tapos pag kampanya, eh syempre, kahit paano, maraming tumutulong sa atin (You know, first of all, I got married. I received lots of gifts. Then in the election campaign, somehow, many people helped me).

Mikey, a Pampanga representative since 2004, said this was how his net worth increased from P76.9 million in 2005 to P99 million in 2008.

He said his P5-million net worth in his 2002 SALN was inaccurate and had been corrected the following year.

So is it legal to pocket the money intended as campaign donation? Magna...! commented one Web user.

Earlier in the interview, Mikey acknowledged that he owned the property at 1655 Beach Park Boulevard in Foster City, San Mateo County, in the San Francisco bay area in California.

Limited liability company

Mikey said it was owned by a company called Beach Way Park LLC (limited liability company) of which he and his family owned some 40 percent in shares.

In the United States, LLCs are small businesses similar to single proprietorships in the Philippines. They can be set up with just one person as shareholder.

Mikey refused to identify the other shareholders in the company even to dispel speculations that they were merely acting as dummies.

Stop saying its my house. Its a house owned by Beach Way which Im a shareholder of, the lawmaker, appearing incensed and uneasy, told Monsod and co-anchor Arnold Clavio.

Burden of proof on Mikey

You know what, the law is very clear, Monsod told Mikey. If there is a problem, when there is a question of unexplained wealth here, the burden of proof is with you, with the government employee.

Monsod added: It cant be that (we) have to prove that (you) are guilty. No, the government employee should prove that he is innocent. Thats precisely the whole objective of having a statement of assets and liabilities.

Mikeys appearance on the TV show stemmed from a report of Vera Files, a group of investigative reporters, that the eldest son of the President did not report in his SALN for the last two years the $1.32-million (P63.7-million) house in Foster City that he bought and transferred to his wife Angela in 2006. They got married in 2002.

Vera Files also reported that Mikeys brother, Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado Ignacio Dato Arroyo, also acquired a house in the United States after he won a seat in Congress in 2007.

But unlike Mikey, Dato declared ownership of a 70-square-meter unit at the luxury full-service Gramercy Towers in San Francisco in his SALN for 2008. Dato and his wife, Victoria Celina Manotok, bought the property for P26.7 million.

Mikey said Tuesday that his family could afford to buy real estate in the United States

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[sam888ization]

Being a filipino living abroad is not easy when it is so hard to be proud anymore. I am constantly asked about my origin ... and does anyone know's how it feels like to say " from that country!" Politician's in the Philippines are corrupt and majority of them are "bobo".

Pakapalan talaga ng mukha sa Pilipinas. Wala silang paki-alam maghirap man ang bansa, as long as they can make themselves rich. I will stay where I am, dahil maraming masasamang tao (politicians) sa Pilipinas. Hiya

[kammiechastyloverne]

Yang Arroyo clan, puros lang yan blood suckers. Mahirap talagang bumalik sa Phils dahil mahirap mabuhay sa bansang twisted culture at cancerous na ang moral bankruptcy.

Yong evildoings nang Arroyo Govt & clan damay lahat. Buti hindi ako mukhang Pinay, kondi affected ako sobra sa discrimination sa tagal ko na residence overseas na hindi ko naman kasalanan... Govt ang mga walang hiya, pati tayo damay sa mga iniquities nila.

They indeed pissed me off!!!

[jeansforjustice]

209,441 viewings on Mikey Arroyo!

[joabars]

magagaling na mandaraya plus may power pa thats what exactly happening right , kakaunti nalang ang anak ng Diyos sa mundo minsan ang iba magaling sa harap ng karamihan pero ang ginagawa hmmm katakot-takot ang sekreto.

[hmmmmmn]

Very nice, it's already got more than 100k views now.

[jeansforjustice]

hey...i like that music..perfect for aerobics lol

[jeansforjustice]

Good job pinaswatcher!!

[cableguytoo]

paano kaya mag people power sa internet?

pwede kaya pp dito sa yt?

[Lalolalynn]

I hope more and more Filipinos would watch ur videos, Pinaswatcher!!! =))