MANILA, Philippines – Jiggy Cruz, the nephew of former President Benigno Aquino III, has taken up the cudgels for his father, Eldon Cruz, after the latter was linked by a Department of Justice (DOJ) witness to the alleged P8.7-billion right-of-way-scam in General Santos City.
“To tag my father in this ‘scam’ is absurd and ridiculous. The letter shown today at the DOJ shows a fake signature. That’s not his signature. It is not even remotely close to it,” Jiggy said Monday.
At a press briefing earlier, DOJ Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II presented to media witness Roberto Catapang Jr., who claimed to have been a part of a syndicate whose supposed modus operandi was to submit fake titles to secure payment in exchange for landholdings that would be used for government road right of way projects.
After being prodded by Aguirre, Catapang, presented to reporters a Jan. 12, 2011 letter that Cruz purportedly signed and sent to then Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) chief Rogelio “Babes” Singson seeking the release of payment for alleged fake road right-of-way claims.
The DOJ witness, however, admitted that he neither met Cruz nor saw him speak with public officials to help facilitate right-of-way transactions with the DPWH and the Department of Budget and Management.
But Catapang said that, “Apparently, they were using his (Cruz’s) name always, not just a few times…”
“Actually, this is the talk of the town in the DPWH. The people in central [office] know that. They had been talking about it during the time of President Aquino,” he added.
But Jiggy denied that the signature in the letter shown by Catapang was that of Eldon, the husband of Maria Elena “Ballsy” Aquino-Cruz, the sister of former President Aquino.
“We live in a time of lies and fake news and I can’t believe it’s reached this point. It’s just totally ridiculous,” said Jiggy, who provided reporters a copy of his father’s passport “with his real signature.”
