Posted at 01/30/2011 4:07 PM | Updated as of 01/30/2011 4:07 PM

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/01/30/11/%E2%80%98garcia-needs-bit-more-nudging-do-rabusa%E2%80%99

MANILA, Philippines - Former military comptroller Major General Carlos Garcia should already tell the public what he knows of the alleged corruption in the military now that the cat is already out of the bag.

In an interview with radio dzMM, Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez said: “Kailangan ma-pressure ng kaunti pa si Garcia, marami siyang ikakanta (Garcia needs to be pressured, he knows a lot).”

It was Golez who first revealed that Garcia could not have acted alone in amassing millions of military money.

On Thursday, former military budget officer Lieutenant Colonel George Rabusa suddenly appeared during a Senate hearing on the plea bargain deal that Garcia had entered into with the Office of the Ombudsman.

Under the deal submitted to the anti-graft court last December 16, Garcia pleaded guilty to lesser offenses of direct bribery and violation of Section 4 (b) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act. He is facing plunder charges after allegedly amassing more than P300 million.

The spotlight, however, all of a sudden shifted to former Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Angelo Reyes. Rabusa said his former boss received P50 million in “pabaon” (send-off money) when he retired in 2002.

This was aside from the P5 million in monthly discretionary funds that he received from the military comptroller's office.

Golez said that he knew all along that it was Reyes who was behind all these.

“Even if he does not micro-manage, he does the approval of different documents, including the appointment papers of the military comptroller,” Golez said.

Garcia actually replaced former military comptroller Jacinto Ligot, whom Rabusa also named during the hearing. Ligot supposedly accompanied Rabusa in delivering the money to Reyes.

Golez said the supposed military system was first revealed in 2004, when the House of Representatives summoned the military’s top brass to several hearings.

They did not have any “whistleblowers” then. The findings, however, were all endorsed to the Office of the Ombudsman and the Anti-Money Laundering Council, he said.

“I believe that it was Reyes who was behind Garcia. I do not believe he does not have anything to do with this,” Golez stressed.

He also noted that the public should await for Rabusa’s affidavit on the issue.

He stressed Reyes and Ligot were unable to directly deny Rabusa’s claims during the hearing last Thursday because they were “nervous.”

Golez said Rabusa may be keeping the logbooks of the transactions. He said these should have been “well-documented.”

Besides plunder, those involved may also be facing tax evasion charges, he added.