MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV said Saturday that millions of military funds could not have been stolen without the knowledge of former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

"If you are talking about the volume of money that was stolen... sa panahon ni GMA (Gloria Macapagal Arroyo), walang gumagalaw ng ganyan kalaking pera without the knowledge of GMA herself," Trillanes said in an interview on radio dzMM.

He said that there is even a possibility that "principals" of the military funds' corruption received more than what the military generals received, maybe even billions of pesos.

Trillanes made the statement after former military budget officer Lt. Col. George Rabusa revealed that he is preparing a more detailed affidavit that would link the former president to a questionable military transaction.

The senator, who was among the leaders of the Magdalo Group that sought Arroyo's resignation in 2003, said he is just waiting for Rabusa to confirm his and his group's suspicion.

Plunder vs. Arroyo

In a statement, activist group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said that Arroyo should be probed for her possible role in the military's "pabaon" system.

Bayan leader Renato Reyes Jr. said that as former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Arroyo could have been the "chief architect" of the huge send-off money given to outgoing military chiefs.

Rabusa revealed during a Senate hearing that former AFP chief Angelo Reyes 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.

Rabusa said former AFP chiefs Diomedio Villanueva and Roy Cimatu received P10 million each in "pasalubong" (welcome gift) when they assumed the AFP leadership.

Rabusa said he kept a Provision for Command-Directed Activities (PCDA) slush fund, which had a monthly funding requirement of P40 million.

Reyes said that the government's impending probe of the "pabaon" system should include Arroyo, who was commander-in-chief during the term of the 3 former AFP chiefs.

"The pay-offs were likely done to buy the loyalty of the generals and ensure their cooperation even after retirement. Considering that the Arroyo regime had many crimes to cover up, the loyalty of the generals was important," Reyes said.

Arroyo has been accused of tapping the help of military generals in the alleged rigging of the 2004 presidential elections.

Her administration also successfully foiled military coup plots, including the so-called Oakwood mutiny in 2003, which involved Trillanes.

"The revelations of Rabusa should lead to the investigation and prosecution of Arroyo and her cabal of generals," Reyes said.

Reyes also urged the government to conduct a "serious audit" of the AFP's disbursements and financial records from 2004 to 2010.

He said that if the government could gather enough evidence, it can file plunder charges against Arroyo and the military generals.

"In the case of Arroyo, she cannot simply avail of parliamentary immunity if she is facing plunder raps," Reyes said.