Palace denies knowledge on Zuce’s ‘return’

Malacañang on Monday denied the reported return of Michaelangelo "Louie" Zuce in the Arroyo administration. "This is the first time I learned about it. We would like to defer any comment," Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said. "I don't know what this is all about. We'll have to see what his plans are," another Malacanang official said. Zuce has reportedly joined the team of Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn, who heads the anti-jueteng task force of the government. Zuce testified before the Senate last year, implicating President Arroyo in payoffs to regional election officials using money from the numbers racket jueteng to ensure Mrs. Arroyo's victory in the May 2004 elections. Zuce, a former presidential staff officer, claimed to have worked with former Commission on Elections Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano. Bunye said there was nothing wrong with Hagedorn's promoting small-town lottery to replace jueteng. "I believe the intention of Mayor Hagedorn is to be able to provide livelihood to those who have been displaced because of the anti-jueteng operations," he said. He said Hagedorn is still the country's anti-jueteng czar. "[Hagedorn] has been tapped by the President to assist in fighting jueteng and he has, I think, achieved enough to be able to make a dent on anti-jueteng operations," Bunye said. –GMANews.TV