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Aragoncillo admits spying for Arroyo foes Estrada, Lacson named co-plotters vs President NEWARK, New Jersey—A Filipino-American intelligence analyst admitted Thursday that for five years he passed top secret information gleaned from White House and Federal Bureau of Investigation computers to conspirators he said were trying to overthrow President Macapagal-Arroyo. Leandro Aragoncillo, 47, a naturalized US citizen who was born in the Philippines, pleaded guilty to a four-count indictment. The conspirators used code words to refer to various people, including calling Ms Arroyo "The Penguin," Aragoncillo admitted. Aragoncillo, shackled at the feet and wearing green jail garb, himself did not...

Break silence, US urged Solons want brains of spy case named THREE senior administration lawmakers urged the United States government yesterday to break its silence on the espionage case of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and immediately identify the brains so they could be charged before Philippine courts. Representatives Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City), Marcelino Libanan (Eastern Samar) and Monico Puentevella (Bacolod) made the call as Malacanang reiterated its fear that the spying scandal could impair the Philippines' relations with the United States. The case involves the alleged theft of secret FBI files dealing with the Philippines, some of which...

MANILA, July 6, 2005 (STAR) (AP) - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's corruption-tainted husband left Wednesday for self-imposed exile in the United States as part of the embattled leader's efforts to distance herself from political scandals that threaten her government. Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo, a lawyer from a prominent family who has been accused of influence-peddling and receiving kickbacks from illegal gambling, bid a somber farewell to his daughter, son and granddaughter at Manila airport before boarding a flight to Hong Kong, from where he will continue to his final destination in the U.S. "He is sad," his lawyer Jesus...

THE ADMINISTRATION of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has backtracked and withdrawn its offer to the United States to use Philippine air space for its planned attack on Iraq. Malacañang said in a policy statement released Saturday by Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye that it would consider allowing American war planes into Philippine air space "for humanitarian purposes," but only if the United Nations Security Council would support the US action. It also said that it saw "no clear basis" for military action against Iraq under existing UN Security Council resolutions, and that the Philippines' concern at the moment was the safety...