Senate panel orders arrest of ex-Arroyo firm bookkeeper

(Updated 5:25 p.m.) The Senate blue ribbon committee has ordered the arrest of Rowena Del Rosario, a former bookkeeper for the Arroyo-owned company LTA Inc., after the panel cited her in contempt for allegedly covering up for former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio Arroyo. In an interview with GMA News Online on Monday, Senate blue ribbon chair Sen. Teofisto Guingona III said they have obtained the needed number of votes to cite Del Rosario in contempt and have her arrested. "We got the requisite number of votes," Guingona said, adding that he has so far obtained 12 signatures to the contempt order. Those who signed the arrest order were Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, Senators Panfilo Lacson, Antonio Trillanes IV, Francis Escudero, Francis Pangilinan, Gregorio Honasan, Sergio Osmena, Franklin Drilon, Edgardo Angara, and Aquilino “Koko" Pimentel III. The arrest order was signed by senators after a caucus which ended at around 4:10 p.m. Before 5 p.m., the Senate sergeant-at-arms had already taken custody of Del Rosario, who had been waiting for the Senate blue ribbon committee's decision within the Senate premises. Guingona said the former LTA bookkeeper was brought to a detention room at the Office of the Senate sergeant-at-arms, where former military comptroller Lt. Gen. Jacinto Ligot was also detained. "I hope she will cooperate with the Senate by answering all the questions of Sen. Lacson and Sen. Estrada, we will release her from detention," he told reporters in a separate interview on Monday The Senate made the approval after Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada and Sen. Panfilo Lacson asked the Senate blue ribbon committee to have Del Rosario cited in contempt. Earlier in the day, the former LTA bookkeeper said that the choppers sold to the Philippine National Police (PNP) in 2009 were not owned by Mike Arroyo and were leased by LTA Inc. as stated by Iggy Arroyo. But the senators said Del Rosario was being "evasive" when she was asked to explain why she remitted $500,000 to Robinson Helicopters for the "advanced rental" of the five choppers and paid P18 million in maintenance fees to Lionair from 2003 to 2011 when the choppers were just supposedly leased to LTA. — RSJ/KBK, GMA News