Yellow forces not behind bid to arrest Imee – Fariñas

House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Farinas denied yesterday that he and other administration congressmen are conniving with so-called “yellow forces” loyal to former President Benigno Aquino III in staging a smear campaign against Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos who has been threatened with arrest by the House of Representatives.

“That’s a very cheap and wild desperation shot,” Farinas said as he chided the lady governor for trying to turn the tables on him in connection with accusations that she was behind the anomalous purchase of service vehicles worth 166.5 million that were sourced from the tobacco excise tax funds allocated to Ilocos Norte.

“Now she’s dragging the “yellow” forces into the picture. Why would anyone pay 1100 million to show the irregularities that she has been committing?” he asked.

Farinas strongly reacted to reports that a 1100-million bounty has been offered to him and other senior members of the House Committees on Good Government and on Justice to ensure Marcos’ arrest by the Lower House

The arrest, according to the reports, was part of a smear job against the Marcos and her brother, former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who has filed an election protest contesting his election rivalry with Vice President Leni Robredo.

Surigao del Sur 2nd Rep. Johnny Pimentel also bucked the bribery report, saying that he will resign his post as House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability chairman if Governor Marcos can prove that panel members were being bribed with 1100 million to ensure her detention.

“I am denying that we are being paid for such (detention of Imee). That is a blatant lie,” the House leader told reporters on Tuesday.

“If she can prove her allegations, I will resign as chairman of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability. That is how vehemently I deny her accusations,” Pimentel said.

Former Senator Marcos was earlier reported to have advised his elder sister not to attend the House hearing scheduled on July 25.

Six senior staff members of the provincial government are still under detention in the Lower House for allegedly refusing to answer questions regarding the alleged Ilocos irregularities.

Farinas lamented that Gov. Marcos had previously blamed local politics as the hidden agenda of the on-going congressional inquiry on the alleged Ilocos Norte anomalies that is being conducted by the good government panel.

He pointed out that the multicab vehicles were clearly overpriced, noting that Bacarra town shelled out only 115 million for 64 units.

“Imee’s 70 Foton, which turned out to be Forland, multicabs cost 132.8 million. Since they allegedly paid in cash, they should have been cheaper, right?,” he said in a Viber post.

Farinas added: “Some people made a lot of money about 115 million on one single transaction.”