(The following article by JP Lopez appears in today’s Malaya. What could be Bolante’s strategy?)
Talk about chutzpah.
Former agriculture undersec-retary Jocelyn “Joc Joc” Bolante has asked Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr. to testify in his immigration hearing in the United States.
This is the same Bolante who the Senate ordered arrested for repeatedly failing to attend the hearing of Magsaysay’s committee on agriculture into the alleged diversion of the P728 million fertilizer fund into President Arroyo’s campaign chest in 2004.
In a letter dated Oct. 9, Bolante’s American lawyer Christian Schmidt of Azulay, Horn & Seiden, Llc., asked Magsaysay to appear in the hearing scheduled on Nov. 9.Schmidt said if Magsaysay could not make it to the hearing in Chicago, he should make himself available through the telephone.
“Please provide our office or the court with the time when you would be available to testify during the hearing,” Schmidt said.
Magsaysay was not available for a reaction.
Bolante was arrested in Los Angeles July 7 for entering the United States with the cancelled B1/B2 visa.
His visa was cancelled by the US Embassy on the strength of Magasaysay’s request.
Bolante, who is being detained in federal facility in Wisconsin, has also petitioned the US district court for the Northern District of Illinois for habeas corpus.
Among those impleaded in his petition were US State Secretary Condoleeza Rice, US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
Nakakahiya ang ungas na ito. When he was arrested, he was no longer an official of the Philippine government so why then should the US treat him differently from other foreign entrants to the US.
Hopefully, the Americans would find his present tactics as an attempt in evading prosecution and apparent contempt of law to punish him and eventually deport him to the Philippines.
As for Magsaysay being told by JocJoc to appear in the crook’s trial or whatever, since he is not the culprit involved in this case, he may refuse to do so. Instead, he should ask the US government to do what should be done according to rules of law in the US, and criminal procedures followed in US courts.
Ginagawa pang tanga pati iyong mga kano!
Filipino farmers victimized by this crook should petition the US government to mete the severest punishment to him, and force him to return what he has stolen from them, and then deport him back to the Philippines. This is an opportune time to do so as a matter of fact.
What gall does Bolante have to ask a Senator to appear in his trial?! Indeed he is part of the Legions of Gloria!The Legions have several, similar characteristics, and one of them is LEATHER-THICK FACES! What an IDIOT!
Senator Magsaysay should get a tip or two from Kiko Cuneta, like answer Bolante with, “Noted.”
Bolante is definitely buying for more time. I wouldn’t be surprised if his lawyers would even call on janitors and messengers just to prolong the hearings. He is obviously avoiding being deported back to the Philippines. I’m sure the court will find his tactics too annoying and will eventually just send him back.
magsaysay is beyond the jurisdiction of the US court handling bolante’s case, so magsaysay could not be compelled to appear before it to testify nor is he obliged to make himself available over the telephone (?). that is probably why the report said that bolante through counsel wrote magsaysay a letter request.
while occasionally witnesses in the US may be allowed by the court to testify through video conferencing i doubt the validity of the testimony made over the telephone. how could you validate the identity of the person at the other end of the line?
but magsaysay could not probably give testimony favorable to bolante’s immigration case. we were guessing that the reason why his visa was cancelled was connected with the senate’s previous investigation of the P728M fertilizer scam. the report did not state what is the nature of the information bolante wanted magsaysay to say or testify before the court.
Bolante is playing a good bluffing game. Remember folks, the lawyers representing Joc-Joc are not a dime-a-dozen variety, and they might have some trick up their sleeves. Remember the famous Johnny Coachraine closing argument, “if they don’t fit, acquit”.
Buti na lang patay na si Johnnie Cochrane, kundi baka kinuha iyan ni Jocjoc to defend him!
Of course, Jocjoc’s lawyers would try some delaying tactic if it means big money, and if they can win their case versus the odds so much the better—for the prestige, of course, but hopefully, the US government will not be willing privy to this hoax especially when he is no longer a government official but some ordinary criminal who should not be granted any immunity but treated like any other criminal. Let the bogus president be embarrassed in cuddling this criminal who has definitely a lot to reveal about them, and their shady deals!!!
God willing, Ellen,you will be led to the truth. Just hang on there. I have a testimony of this, Ellen, that when you are for the truth, God opens the door for it to be revealed.
I know, because I have many times experienced it. When I cooperate in some investigative report and I pray for guidance, somehow God often opens the door. Sometimes, I do not even have to look for any clues. They are even just dropped right at my door. I bet it is the same with you. And no matter what the crooks will try to do to stop one from revealing the truth, they will never really be able to succeed. The truth eventually prevails.
The nerve of this magnanakaw!! HU-DAS he think he is?
On second thought, baka naman kakanta na si bolante?
Takot kumanta sa Pinas, kaya doon na lang?
Kahit na…..lakas pa rin ng loob=tapang ng apog na papuntahin si Sen. JunMagsaysay doon? Wala siyang choice but to sing and sing it loud here. Baka sakaling mabawasan ang kasalanan niya sa mga mambubukid na ninakawan nila ng abono.
Yuko, I believe that whatever blockades are put up, truth will triumph in the end.
Apparently, Filipinos of today have gotten used to this culture of impunity and cheating that if they can do it, vis-a-vis cheat, they will do it without even butting an eye!
Take the case of the Filipina I am helping settle down after being divorced from the Japanese husband. I have introduced her to our ward office (district hall) so she can be accommodated in some housing for single mothers, but there are lots of requirement to be able to qualify like some health check.
For that she was told to bring specimen of hers and her child’s feces. She was instructed in fact to get the specimen before eating breakfast, but she could not force her 5-year-old child to pooh, and being used apparently to the cheating in the Philippines, she tried doing some trick by using the one passed out by her child the previous evening.
What she did not realize was the time gap can change the composition of the feces, and affect the test to be done. It did. The test was a failure, the feces wasted and she was told to submit a new one.
In short, nag-aksaya ng panahon. And this is exactly what is happening in the Philippines right now. Progress is being hindered by the hocus-pocus operation of the bogus president, who should be sent to prison as a matter of fact.
It’s amazing how they can keep laws in the Philippines for example that do not help maintain peace and order there, but help crooks to evade the very law that these lawmakers draft and pass like the Election Code that states in fact that anyone who violates any of its provisions can be disqualified and sent to jail. Why is this not being done?
Why can Filipinos in general not realize that it is not helping them to tolerate this crook whose economic policy is to make guinea pigs of Filipinos to be sold overseas. Next, don’t be surprised to hear of the Philippines becoming a factory for human organs to be exported overseas!
Thanks God, however, that Japan, for instance, has rules against these human organ transplants.
On the other hand, maybe, it will be good for Magsaysay, et al to go to the US and request the US government for cooperation in grilling the crook. Puede naman gawin iyan.
It has been done in fact by other countries, but more often than not, by the police not congressmen or senators. I have actually interpreted in such cases that is why I know it can be done.
There are already enough evidence to put Bolante behind bars the rest of his useful life, but that he committed those crimes in the Philippines, and to the Philippines justice he must answer. The case he is facing in the U.S. is as far as we know was a violation of the U.S. immigration law, and the reason for his detention and court appearance is due to his fears of going back as stated in the affidafit of an immigration officer. Had he not stated his fear of coming back to the immigration officer upon entry, he may have been back in the country now and the situation may have been entirely different. But being in the thick of unexpected, thinking that seeking assylum would be just a piece of cake for a person with a “fat bank account”, now he could use all his tricks and abilities like he made those millions of government funds end up in their pockets for their own use. But anyone with a bird brain can do steal and cheat and get away with it sometimes but not all the time.. and the time in not on your side this time JOC-JOC..
You bet, Vic. The guy is just so desperate to stay in US jails that he is trying to make his case a felony instead of some case of violation of US Immigration Rule that can merit immediate deportation. Iyan ang makapal. Gustong maging hardened criminal!!! I doubt if he is having a good time at the US jail that hopefully is nothing like the jail in the Philippines where criminals with money are allowed even the services of their maids complete with some conjugal privileges. Unthinkable in Japan as a matter of fact, where a detainee is treated like any other detainee, a criminal suspect!!! Same with those who have received punishment. No special privileges but training to make them realize the gravity of their crimes!!!
RE: Tribune’s headlines:
Vital witnesses are being wooed with juicy offers by the bogus ones just to recant their testimonies…..
Gagawin ang lahat, ma-cover-up lamang!
Same is true in all other areas of governance.
COVER-UP queen ang mga bogus!
Frankly, I have difficulty understanding the mentality of present-day Filipinos, who would not have any qualms committing crimes overseas just because they can always cover it up when they go home, where cheating, lying and even committing crimes are actually nothing as long as you can evade the law by paying big sum of money or having the right connections! Unbelievable talaga! I have met a lot these kinds of Filipinos in Japan as a matter of fact in my work as police, court and prison interpreter. Nawala na ang sinasabi sa pilipino na “hiya”! Pakapalan na ng mukha!
Sabi pa ng isang pilipino sa akin, “Bakit, Ate, nakakain ba ang hiya?” Taragis talaga!
Tangna, kung inabot ni Bansot si Arsenio Lacson, katakot-takot na mura ang inabot niya. Hindi uubra ang mga kurakot sa Mayor na iyon sa totoo lang! Hangang-hanga ang mga parents ko sa kaniya. Sayang namatay! Iyong mga members ng Manila’s Finest na bodyguard niya kasi hindi parang mga pataygutom di tulad ng mga bayaran ni Bansot!!! Gone are those days ba?
Bolante lawyers ask Magsaysay to testify on immigration case
Palace bribing Joc-Joc scam witnesses to recant
By Angie M. Rosales
10/17/2006
Both Malacañang and former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” Bolante, reportedly one of the the presidential couple’s bagman, appear to be in desperate straits, as President Arroyo’s emissaries have been hunting down the Senate witnesses who testified on the P3-billion fertilizer funds scam and are allegedly bribing them to recant their testimonies, while Bolante’s American lawyers have written to Sen. Ramon Magsaysay, Jr., asking him to testify before the immigration court hearing scheduled on Nov. 7.
At the same time, a Filipino diplomat told the Tribune that all Philippine Embassy and consulate reports on Bolante are handed directly to President Arroyo, without passing through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
With Magsaysay accusing the Ombudsman of sitting on the fertilizer funds scam, Malacañang emissaries have reportedly been hunting down the scam’s whistleblowers and have been trying to convince them to retract their charges that served to validate some P3 billion worth of farmers’ funds.
This was disclosed to the Tribune by reliable sources yesterday, with them saying that some of the witnesses who openly testified before the Senate committee on agriculture and food headed by Magsaysay, allegedly had been approached by Malacañang emissaries the past several weeks, reportedly proposing “juicy offers” in exchange for the recantation of their sworn affidavits which implicated, among others, the influential Palace personality, Bolante, who remains an untouchable, whether in Malacañang’s Presidential Anti-Graft Commission or the Office of the Ombudsman.
Bolante who is currently detained and facing immigration trial in Chicago, had also sought out Magsaysay, but this time, he is asking for the testimony of the senator.
This was contained in a letter sent by Bolante’s American lawyers dated Oct. 9, to the senator’s office by the Azulay, Horn and Seiden law firm representing the former DA official, informing the senator that the executive office for immigration review of the immigration court of Chicago has scheduled an individual hearing on the case and has slated the proceedings to be held on Nov. 9.
“Mr. Bolante respectfully requests your appearance at this hearing in order to provide your testimony in this matter. Should you be unable to attend the court hearing in person, please make yourself available for your telephonic testimony. Please provide our office or the court with the time when you would be available to testify during the hearing,” Christian Schmidt, of the law firm said in his letter to the senator.
Magsaysay could not be reached for comment yesterday, but speculations rose that Bolante may be so cornered by American authorities that he may officially be seeking political asylum, and needs Magsaysay’s testimony to establish that indeed, he is being “persecuted politically.”
Lawyers Tribune got in touch with for comment, however, pointed out that Magsaysay’s testimony will merely cement the corruption issue and would make it even worse for Bolante under the US President George W. Bush’s “no safe haven for kleptocrats” policy.
Senate sources meanwhile claimed one of those who stood as a witness in the hearing and pinned down Bolante over his alleged maneuvering in the misuse and distribution of fertilizer funds sometime during the campaign period in the May 2004 presidential elections, was allegedly offered a “trip to the US” along with the whistle-blower’s “entire family.”
Sources could not ascertain whether the other witnesses received the same offer or any monetary consideration. But the witness himself, when contacted by the Tribune, confirmed the alleged offer and stated that he continues to be pressured by President Arroyo’s alleged emissaries.
The latest pressure exerted was made yesterday, when he received a call from one of the three supposed emissaries asking him whether he had already reached a decision.
The purported negotiations started more than a month and a half ago when the Palace’s alleged emissaries managed to track down the witness, after which, they had arranged for a meeting held in a fastfood restaurant in Glorietta, Makati City just few weeks ago.
“I’m not interested in their offer. They negotiate whatever they are capable of giving me but I’m not biting. I will stick to my statement until the day I die,” the witness told this reporter, adding that the alleged emissaries specifically relayed to him that an affadavit will have to be executed to this effect in exchange for withdrawing all the accusations made during the Senate public hearings by the said witness.
Aside from the “US trip”, the witness said no monetary offer was mentioned.
The witness, however, was being convinced to take part in, or act as a broker in the a textbooks contract amounting to some P400 million with the Department of Education (DepEd) that the alleged Palace emissaries claimed to be working on. In exchange for this, the witness was promised a fat commission.
The witness could not ascertain whether the proposed DepEd deal that the supposed Palace emissaries mentioned was the same purported anomalous transaction revealed recently by opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson.
Citing records reaching his office, Lacson said the Department of Budget and Management awarded almost P500 million in textbook contracts to two disqualified bidders only last September.
He said he has filed a resolution seeking a Senate probe into the mess, which he said may have involved some government officials making a quick buck at the expense of students and teachers.
For his part, Magsaysay’s chief of staff, lawyer Jojo Buenviaje said any retraction from the testimonies made by the witnesses during their conduct of the investigation would no longer have any impact especially on the findings of the Senate panel, having already submitted a committee report which the entire upper chamber body adopted last March.
“The testimony, given under oath, was already part of the committee report, the investigation. It’s up to them but they would have to suffer the consequences later on as we could file perjury charges against them,” he said citing provisions of the Revised Penal Code, where the penalty calls for the imposition of a minimum of prision correccional to a maximum of arresto mayor.
In a related development, the DFA is reportedly being kept in the dark on developments related to the case of the former Agriculture Undersecretary, who remains detained and is reportedly seeking asylum in the US.
A Filipino diplomat said Malacañang allegedly no longer involves the DFA on the Bolante issue “unless necessary.”
The diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, also disclosed that some reports of the Philippine Embassy in Washington on Bolante are said to be sent directly to Malacañang.
“This issue is one of the government’s best guarded secrets. So only a few people know what’s really going on. In fact, the Department of Justice is more involved in this case than the DFA,” the official told the Tribune.
“The scenario is that, ‘We will involve you (DFA), when we need you,’” the source added.
Bolante, who was arrested on July 7 in Los Angeles, is accused of diverting P728-million fertilizer funds of the Department of Agriculture to the campaign kitty of the President in the 2004 presidential campaign.
He is detained in Broadview immigration detention center in Wisconsin.
He was denied entry to the US after his tourist visa was canceled by the US Embassy in Manila.
A ranking Arroyo administration official earlier admitted that the Philippine and US governments were engaged in back-channel negotiations for a possible tradeoff deal on the case involving Bolante and the four US servicemen charged of raping a 22-year-old Filipino woman in Subic, Olongapo City.
According to the official, Manila and Washington were conducting talks on the issue since August.
“There were informal talks but we have no information if it is a done deal already,” the source said.
The US Embassy in Manila denied the allegations, saying there is no connection between the two cases.
“These cases are completely different,” US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Anne Kenney said.
Philippine Ambassador to the US Willy Gaa also denied that there are trade-off negotiations.
“No. I don’t think there’s that negotiation along that line. I’m definite there’s none,” Gaa said.
Re: Yuko’s ““Bakit, Ate, nakakain ba ang hiya?””
That’s why I said in a previous thread, “hunger knows no law.”
Magsaysay nixes Joc Joc invitation to testify in US (Malaya, Oct. 18, 2006)
Buti naman hindi magpapauto si Senator Magsaysay. Hindi naman siya kailangan na humarap sa trial ni Jocjoc especially when the request for cancellation of his visa came from the US Embassy in Manila and not from the Senate regardless of what made the US Embassy there to take such action. Gago rin ano? Komo walang rule of law sa Pilipinas at puede ang palusot basta may kakilala ka, e akala nila ganoon din sa ibang bansa. Aba, ang labas, mangungurakot pa! Talaga naman, ang garapal!!!
wala namang dapat ipunta si senator magsaysay sa USA dahil hindi naman siya ang involved sa mga pagnanakaw kundi ang bagman ng mag-asawang magnanakaw.
sana lang, huwag magbago ng prinsipyo ang anak ng tanging pangulong nagbigay ng lahat ng kanyang kakayahan tungo sa pagkakaisa (sana) ng buong sambayanan kung hindi nangibabaw ang pagkagahaman ng mga sumunod sa kanya mulang siya ay mamatay sa sakuna sa mount manungal noong 1957. si pangulong ramon magsaysay lamang ang tanging nagpakita ng kababaang loob noong walang sawa niyang hanapin si dating pangulong elpidio quirino at buong puso niyang amining kailangan niya ang tulong ng huli upang magampanan ang mabigat na responsibilidad na nakaatang sa kanyang balikat.
Alam mo ba kung bakit puede silang magkasundo, Mrivera. I mean, si Magsaysay at Quirino? Kasi pareho silang Ilocano ang salita!!! 🙂 😛
Si Bansot pasikat pa raw na nag-i-speech sa iba’t ibang wikang pilipino pero ilan kaya doon ang talagang naiintindihan niya. Ingles nga niya minsan siya lang yata ang nakakaintindi! Yuck! 😛
I’m glad to hear that at least Senator Magsaysay is trying hard now to live up to his father’s good name and reputation. Sa totoo lang, kahit mga hapon kilala si Magsaysay, because it was during his time when the Japanese treaty of friendship, etc. with the Philippines became possible.
Let’s support him in what he is doing. May God bless and protect him!
Kung ang salitang “say” sa English ay magsalita o sabihin, ang pangalang Magsaysay ay magsalita ng magsalita o magsabi ng magsabi. Pero bakit ngayon lang nagdadada itong si Senador? Anong ginawa niya noong unang termino niya at nakaraan? Bakit siya tahimik noon at puro porma na ngayon? Dahil ba sa taong 2010 na may balak siyang tumakbong mas mataas na puwesto?
Bakit walang komento sa komento ko sa itaas? Anong SAY niyo kay MagSAYSAY?