Update: Sandiganbayan okayed Garcia plea bargain last May (during the Arroyo administration)
A briefer on the Carlos Garcia case
Update: Tax case filed vs Garcia
Tuesday, staff members of the OSG were reportedly busy copying the nine volumes of documents that gave a glimpse of the massive corruption in the military.
That’s a welcome news because many are wondering why the Aquino government seemed not to be moving while Garcia, his wife and children were securing their ill-gotten wealth and freedom.
It was reported on the first working day of the year that banks have turned over to the Office of the Ombudsman some P53 million in cash held in several accounts owned by Garcia, his wife Clarita, and their children Ian Carl, Juan Paulo and Timothy Mark. Only P53 million? Garcia was able to amass wealth worth P303 million which could only have been obtained illegally because his pay as a military officer would not have made him earn even half of that.
The deal was deplorable enough. The charge of plunder which was unbailable was dropped in exchange for Garcia admitting that direct bribery and facilitating money laundering. He agreed to return P103 million of his P303 million loot. In addition, charges against his wife Clarita and their three sons Juan Paulo, Ian Carl and Timothy Mark who were named co-accused were to be dropped because Garcia absolved them of any role in the theft.
The plea bargain, which still has to be approved by the Sandiganbayan, allowed Garcia to post bail of P60,000.
It was a deal most foul. Imagine being allowed to keep P173 million of the money stolen from the people. Beats winning the lotto, one blogger remarked.
And now it seems the ill-gotten wealth surrendered by Garcia as part of the plea bargain do not amount to P130 million but only P53 million.
It was reported that the transfers were made in three batches over the Christmas holidays. The Armed Forces and Police Savings and Loans Association Inc. (AFPSLAI) transmitted P10,017,225.32 Dec. 21, 2010. The next day, the Land Bank of the Philippines handed over to the Ombudsman two managers checks for the total amount of P7,310,901.09 from Garcia’s accounts with the LBP-Greenhills and Camp Aguinaldo branches.
The bank also remitted $759,083.34 held in a personal dollar account of Garcia, and four joint dollar time deposits with his wife and three children. On December 28, the Bank of the Philippine Islands-Makati main branch delivered five manager’s checks for $56,225.16 and P51,499.34.
Aside from the bank deposits, the Ombudsman also received the certificates of registrations of two sports utility vehicles and two other motor vehicles from the Land Transportation Office Region VI.
The vehicles were a Toyota RAV-4 (FEV-498), a Honda CRV (FEH-275), a Mitsubishi L-300 van (FDZ-582) and a Honda Civic (FEC-134).
The irregular thing about his arrangement is that the ill-gotten wealth are now in the hands of the Ombudsman when it should be the court, the Sandiganbayan, who should have jurisdiction over these.
Former Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima have raised questions about Garcia’s pleading guilty to a lesser offense while the plea bargain was being considered. Garcia should also not have been allowed to post bail because the Sandiganbayan has not yet approved the plea bagain.
A reporter covering the Sandiganbayan said the Solgen’s intervention on the plea bargain would create more complications because even as it awaits approval, the Ombudsman has been proceeding with undue haste.
De Lima has described Garcia’s plea bargain deal as “illegal and unconscionable” and attended by the prosecutors’ “participation, if not collusion…”
Talks are that a former official of the Arroyo administration who was also a retired military official worked on the Sandiganbayan for Garcia’s freedom. Probably to make sure that Garcia does not spill the beans about those involved in the grand theft and the other beneficiaries of his loot.
Knowing that the Ombudsman is dominated by Arroyo’s people, the stinking deal was not really suprising. But Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Edilberto Sandoval is an appointee of Aquino. Although the deal has still to be approved, the fact that it was allowed at all despite its irregularity raises serious concern.
Truth is on the side of the Filipino people on this Garcia case. The people won’t be very forgiving if Aquino’s legal team bungles this.
* * *
Former Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo has a different computation of the amount that will be left to Garcia.He said the Ombudsman didn’t touch sums pocketed by Garcia before freeze order. Here’s Peter Tabingco’s story in Malaya:
Plea bargain leaves P55M to Garcia
BY PETER TABINGO
MALAYA
THE plea bargaining agreement between retired Maj. Gen. Carlos F. Garcia and the Office of the Ombudsman not only allows the former AFP comptroller, his wife Clarita, and their children Ian Carl, Juan Paulo and Timothy Mark to walk in a plunder charge but also leaves them at least P55 million, former Tanodbayan Simeon Marcelo said yesterday.
Marcelo, then head of the Office of the Ombudsman, filed the plunder charge against the Garcia family on April 6, 2005, accusing them of conspiracy in amassing at least P303 million.
The Department of Justice has found probable cause to indict Garcia and his wife Clarita for tax evasion and underdeclaration of their income for the years 2002 and 2003. The DOJ recommended the filing of criminal charges against the couple.
In a phone interview yesterday, Marcelo noted that the list of bank deposits, investments and real estate properties totaling P135 million reportedly offered by Garcia to the government under the plea bargain deal did not include huge sums of money that he and his family were able to withdraw before the Court of Appeals slapped freeze orders on their remaining bank accounts on Oct. 14, 2004.
“The Ombudsman curiously left out of the plea bargain huge sums of money already withdrawn by Gen. Garcia, his wife and their children before the freeze order came out. Bakit hindi naisama yun? Lumalabas niyan, palalayain na sila, may pera pang mahigit sa P55 million,” he said.
The plea bargain allowed Garcia to plead on December 16 to lesser offenses of direct bribery and violating a provision of the anti-money laundering law. He was released from detention on December 18 after posting bail of P60,000.
Based on documents submitted by the Ombudsman and the Office of the Special Prosecutor in the money laundering case filed against the Garcia family in December 2009, the sum of the withdrawals was closer to P100 million.
According to the graph or table prepared by prosecutors pertaining to bank transactions conducted by the Garcia family within a period of only four days –Oct. 5 to 8, 2004 – they were able to withdraw P72 million from investments and local currency accounts and a whopping $967,215.99 from their dollar deposits.
The withdrawals were made shortly after then Tanodbayan Marcelo issued a subpoena dated Sept. 20, 2004 on the Armed Forces for access to Garcia’s service records and statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).
Garcia’s 2003 SALN showed he declared total assets of only P2.76 million.
But based on evidence submitted by the Ombudsman, on Oct. 5, 2004, Garcia, Clarita and/or Ian Carl made several withdrawals from Allied Bank and Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) branches in Blue Ridge, Quezon City and Iloilo-Main totaling P10.14 million in checks and P2.77 million in cash.
The following day (October 6), the Garcia couple drew P18.47 million in cash and P256,556.76 in checks from the Armed Forces and Police Savings and Loans Association Inc. (AFPSLAI), BDO-Valero and BPI-Mandurriao (Iloilo).
A day later (October 7), the entire family made separate withdrawals totaling P21.63 million from UCPB-Valero and P6 million from AFPSLAI.
On the fourth day (October 8), Ian Carl and Juan Paulo each extracted P5 million from AFPSLAI while Garcia moved investments in AMWSLAI worth P3.16 million.
In all, the family withdrew P72.43 million in those four days – just from their pero-based deposits and investments.
Prosecution figures showed from Oct. 5 to 7, 2004, the family also drained their dollar accounts of $967,215.99 (P43.34 million at $1:P43.77).
Marcelo also questioned the seeming haste of the Office of the Special Prosecutor and the Ombudsman in pushing for the approval of the plea bargaining agreement.
He pointed out that the supposed reasoning of the OSP that the plea bargain will ensure recovery of the Garcias’ ill-gotten wealth does not fly because most of the family’s assets are already covered by two forfeiture cases pending before the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division.
“Those cases only need proof by preponderance of evidence. And since the defendants have been declared in default, those garnished assets of the Garcias are already won,” he explained.
In addition, Marcelo said prosecutors could have sped up plunder proceedings by moving for a marathon trial like what was done in the plunder trial of former President Joseph Estrada.
“The Ombudsman keeps claiming that the plea bargaining agreement is advantageous to the government by saving its resources because it will shorten litigation. But they have never asked the court for two- or three-day hearings per week like we did with the Erap plunder case,” he said.
Arvin95, please repost your comments on this topic. I reposted this article to make some corrections and your comment was erased.I’m sorry.
Oh wow! Finally got through! Hi Ellen… happy, happy new year! And what a way to start the new year… letting go of this rascal? Wow!
What is so downright mindboggling about this is how this mad looter was able to siphon hundreds of millions of military funds and not be noticed by chief of staff and by vice-chief and most importantly, by the the TDCS (The Deputy Chief of Staff) AFP? And if not by any one of those top three in the AFP GHQ, what about major service chiefs who, I’m sure, get to look at the books too! Unless of course, something worse than monkeying around was going on.
Come on! Garcia could have siphoned a few hundred thousands but hundreds of millions straight into his bank account? Either we had dimwits in the military top brass all along or they were all just bleeding blind to the deed (or maybe they were in on it all along.)
Really beats me how he could have siphoned all that money into his bank account unnoticed by the big whigs — not a chance!!!
Ramiscal (of the RSBS financial debacle fame), former J-6 AFP, got to doctor AFP J-6 records but Boy Abadia, then CSAFP, had to affix his signature to everything he did.
No way this was committed by one bandit! No way.
AFPSLAI, unknown to the lowly soldiers, was run like a Madoff-styled scam organisation too. You put in a bundle of money and could earn you up to 20% (and more) per annum in terms of interest. Why, if you were close to a major service commander, you could entrust him with say half a million pesos and could withdraw it after a bit of time and make you a neat non-taxed 100 thou or more!
It was a neat scam that all the top jerks in the AFP took advantage of. Ask Angie Reyes (and all the big whigs in the military that succeeded him!)
Difficult to trust these hoodlums in star studded uniform with money that’s not their own!
Noon pa, after my advance rotc-ust, na vision ko na ang mga
ibig sabihin ng mga rango, mula iba-ba, hanggan stars sa balikat.Teritoryo, inpluensya, at di sa tunay na maka-Bayan, maka-Tao ang patutunguhan, kaya di ako nag-patuloy sa cad-na marami kung kasamahan ay ghinawa..iba naging mga stars din, etc..concentrate na lang ako sa trabaho at ma-ngi-bang bansa, naghanap ng tunay na kala-yaan..Tingnan na lang natin ang mga galing sa pma-pnp, na sana silay tunay na mag-lingkod, ano ang mga ginawa, ala-garcia-asperon, at marami pang iba. Humanga ako sa Magdalong sundalo, nasa-sa kanila ang kalooban ko. Siguro kung nag-tuloy ako sa pagsundalo, baka kasama nila ako..ngunit, iyong pma-yer na kasanga nila, biglang nag-baliktad yata,.iniwan sila, makamtan lamang ang pangsariling ambisyon, na di pang-kalahatang layunin, na pangTao..Ang kasong Garcia,Lacson,..etc..mga hamon sa administrasyon ni Pangulong Pnoy, na dapat mata-tag siya sa kanyang mga sinabi at pangako,bago siya naging pangulo.Nasa dugo niya ang pagka-Bayani, ni Ninoy at ng Ina, Cory Aquino..palagay
ko di niya sasayangin ang pagkakataong ito at hamon ng
panahon. May mga taong malaon ng patay, ngunit sila ay buhay-na-buhay sa puso-diwa ng tao at kasaysayan..May mga taong buhay na buhay,patay naman ang turing, at ina-alipusta ng karamihan. My food for thoughts..
I believe most of the other Generals could also not believe that they been had by General Garcia…I meant they all had been beneffited but not to the degree that of General Garcia and some them still chuckling and their only consolition is that they were not caught…at least they are just suspects…
(2) There you go A De B. Over the years in Ellen’s microscope I read and saw how you whet and grind your knife into an overreaching sword of sharp steel slashing lies to uncover hidden truths. Not the kind of warrior badged with authority, to accept the sword in his bowels so others of his kind may be saved from shame and punishment.
If P Noy wants to win against corruption and plunder. He can build more prisons, recruit more tax examiners, and bring all tax evaders to justice.
Except for the clergy, there are no sacred cows against tax evasion. Not in any government branch or the business sector. Some may play with the rule of law but not with tax evasion. Far from the common belief, dangerous as it may seem, the witch hunts of yonder years had burned some real witches.
Tax case filed against Garcia. This is to be prosecuted by the DOJ, not the Ombudsman, because it is not per se, a graft and corruption case cognizable by the Ombudsman.
Intense applause from my puny hands.
That’s simply proves if there’s a will, there’s a way.
That should be pounded on the head of the President’s legal team.
That should apply to PNoy’s promise to make Gloria Arroyo accountable for her crimes against the Filipino people. Forget about the “unconstitutional” Truth Commission. There are other ways to run after a theft. Esep esep ang kailangan.
SolGen Cadiz should file a petition for certiorari alleging grave abuse on the part of the Sandiganbayan.
The Rules of Court allow a plea to a lesser offense only during the arraignment, or after arraignment, but before trial (Section 2 Rule 116). That plea to a lesser offense requires the consent of both the offended party (AFP) and the prosecutor (the Deputy Ombudsgirl – babae pala yung Wendell) – same rule.
The plea to the lesser offense was made long after arraignment, and without the consent of the AFP. The Sandiganbayan, although it ostensibly did not approve, in actuality, already approved the plea deal, because it granted bail. That grant of bail can only be to a lesser offense, because plunder is non-bailable.
There being two glaring grounds of flagrant violation of the Rules, the Sandiganbayan displayed grave abuse in allowing Garcia to post bail. This is also a gross ignorance of the law. I wonder how many millions can induce gross ignorance.
Your move SolGen.
Ellen, who is this?
“Talks are that a former official of the Arroyo administration who was also a retired military official worked on the Sandiganbayan for Garcia’s freedom. Probably to make sure that Garcia does not spill the beans about those involved in the grand theft and the other beneficiaries of his loot.”
Is it former Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes?
This case could open a “can of worms” that could tear up the military institution to shreds…the errant general could never have done this alone…this warrants the question “can we handle the truth?” …what if so many hands got dirty already and we could face a shortage of leadership if everything comes to light?
…the NPA and the MILF are probably laughing all the way to the bank as they collect revolutionary taxes…
…this is a tough nut to crack…is it worth cracking or will there be more selective disinformation to cushion the blow?
I also believe that during the Trial (in progress), the accused can either choose to just give up and change his plea to guilty and be done with it…but Plea Bargain?
Usually a plea bargain (as most cases usually ended in plea bargaining) through my experience is worked out before the trial and the agreed statement of facts will be read before the sentencing judge (presiding judge) during the arraignment and the sentence will be either agreed upon to, or entirely up to the Judge…
Usually this is done to spare the victims from the further agony of testifying before the court and in cases of Fraud, if one is willing to testify for the state against a fellow fraudster or more fraudsters.
But it was a reverse in the Case of General Garcia, he got a Plea Bargain deal so he can not spill the Beans.
— humus
Humbled by the superb analogy, humus. Many thanks.
Ellen’s doctrine, ie., to tell it like it is, has been a great inspiration. Sadly, in our country, people who are corrupt but embody authority wear armour of extraordinary alien components that not even all the swords of sharp steel from this forum striking them at the same time will matter, not unless the people we elected and who are at the very top of the totem pole become are determined themselves not to be squeamish and truly valiant by putting corruption to the death.
— Jug
Allow me a few inputs:
What you posed there is a dilemma but one that can be sidestepped if the aim is to finally do something about the collective corruption that has plagued the country.
I don’t think so. I have better faith in the institution than that. The pragmatist in me believes that opening the can is the only way forward for this institution. The people who have committed and are still committing corruption individually and collectively comprise not the bulk of the military but a small portion of that institution. Most of those who do criminal acts of the Garcia proportions are found in the upper echelons of military power, eg., high senior military officials and as such do not embody the military institution.
It behooves the country as whole, the nation en toto to clamour for punishment against these corrupt military officials whoever or wherever they may be today. It is my belief that it would strengthen the military institution rather than weaken or tear it up to shreds; professionalise the services in that pride will be restored, i.e., the junior rank and file who have joined the military profession possessing an ideology (as a former PMAer yourself must know) to fight for their country and their people — and die if need be for them, will finally be serving a noble cause, eg., Magdalo and Fort Bonifacio stand-off officers and men.
These armed rebel groups cannot be compared to the military institution of the Republic. The Philippine military as a whole is the constitutional armed branch of the Republic although you may say that the top ranking officers of the AFP who have committed plunder, discovered and undiscovered, do act like members of the NPA, the CPP and the MILF and their brothers in arms, the MNLF in certain respects but the comparisson ends there.
And if it’s true that they are now laughing their way to the bank, it becomes all the more imperative for our govt to rid the institution of these military misfits so that the fighting men and women in uniform in the military today can do their job properly and hunt down these outlaws to the end of the earth.
I think you are forgetting that corrupt military officials cannot be good leaders in battle as they are thorough misfits so getting rid of this these dirty hands should pave the way for govt to replace them with capable hands. Besides, as you very well know, these generals hardly lead men in battle so there should be no worry that the military could face a shortage of leadership. On the contrary, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going, i.e., the opportunity will allow true military leaders to rise and be counted.
Overall, there should be no question that military misfits, retired and in active service should be hanged, drawn and quartered! The military must return to its true calling, i.e., be the good guys fighting the bad guys and enemies of the republic from within and beyond!
Ngeek… “Overall, there should be no question that military misfits, retired and in active service should not be hanged, drawn and quartered!”
Re:
The ultimate question today is why a former top Malacanang man who had served in the military would go through all the trouble getting himself involved in the plea bargain? Next is what is in it for him? Another is: What is the damning secret that Garcia is keeping that he’s putting himself in the line for Garcia to be punished for a “lesser offence”?
To obtain some semblance of logical answers, I suppose one way is to write out a chronological order of Garcia’s actions (including his career pattern) and find out where Garcia’s sponsor came or comes in.
My belief is that Garcia is the money bag man — he’s aptitude for numbers and his docility to doctor numbers made him the ideal “comptroller” but there’s a strong possibility that he’s not the lone instigator in the plunder.
Something struck me in Garcia’s admission of guilt when he says the money in his possession constituted for the most part bribes — impossible! The office of J-6 is merely a comptroller’s office and in the chain of doing business with the AFP is merely an info giver (on the status of finance in the AFP for instance) and cannot or does not technically award a yes to a potential bidder, etc. A “commission” might come the comptroller’s way when he’s finally prepared the financial documents to release the funds or some related work but in no way is he personally pivotal or critical in the decision making process of awarding bids. He could not have amassed that kind of money from traders in RP. Little chance!
However, and this is the crux of this entire Garcia military loot plunder job, if by “bribes”, he meant he received hundreds of millions into his account because they represented his cuts or commissions for plundering the coffers, then I would be more inclined to believe in his “bribes justification”. In that case, it is possible, and I’m weighing my words, that the amount of money plundered from military and defence coffers, at the behest of bigger brains, could be very much bigger, more enormous and not just 300 million pesos or so. There’s every chance that the amount could be 10x that.
This is perhaps what Garcia’s sponsor is trying desperately to keep away from the public. Garcia is key to unlocking the military’s secret Pandora financial box.
Incidentally, there is a “doctrine” in the AFP that the “life and blood” (the “nerve of war” as one might say) of the AFP chief of staff himself depends greatly on his choice of comptroller..(major service commanders follow the same tenet. The chief of staff AFP who selected Garcia knows more about what happened than anybody else in the entire military. And even if, say, he retired leaving Garcia to serve another, he would have let his successor know of the importance of Garcia.
(Would be good to check the entire career pattern of Garcia, eg., where and under whom he served throughout his career, most specifically if had served in the Army or in army divisions in comptroller capacity.)
By the way, Ellen, I just read this article in this link: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=645677&publicationSubCategoryId=63
.
I don’t understand… normally, checks issued from AFP GHQ (and same in major service commands) are signed by CSAFP which of course have been prepared and “co-signed” by comptroller beforehand.
In any case, the mind boggles: how on earth did he get to issue any documents for payment of anything or even remotely doctored the accounts of the AFP without being noticed by the chain of command! Just doesn’t make sense.
From the same linked article:
Was AFP among the complainants? I suppose the former AFP leadership “surrendered” Garcia so in a way…
On this briefer (http://www.gov.ph/downloads/2011/01jan/20110105-briefer-the-case-against-garcia.pdf)prepared by Manolo Quezon, it says
No one believes that Garcia pulled off this massive theft alone.
Garcia wascomptroller from 2001 to 2004 . That means starting when Angelo Reyes was AFP chief. He was caught, rather his wife and sons were caught, when Narciso Abaya was the AFP chief.
Re # 18, I think the Sol Gen is intervening in behalf of the AFP.
In that case, it is possible, and I’m weighing my words, that the amount of money plundered from military and defence coffers, at the behest of bigger brains, could be very much bigger, more enormous and not just 300 million pesos or so. There’s every chance that the amount could be 10x that.- Anna
Many believe so.
It would be interesting to see if some of those money went to campaign funds.
Thanks, Ellen… and if he served directly under our dearly beloved former CSAFP “coup d’étaist” General Angie Reyes who was, as he liked to brag, a triple A AIM graduate, it comes as no surprise that nothing amiss in the financial records of the AFP was discovered. Remember that Mr Reyes began his career in the production sector of army intelligence; he knows how to make money disappear in those intel “expense envelops”.
Call Angie Reyes to the witness stand but I recommend that he be interrogated by tough prosecutors. The man is a seasoned govt shit, won’t be easy to break him.
Ellen,
Re: “It would be interesting to see if some of those money went to campaign funds.”
Following that line of thought, do you know which officers who served under Gloria ran for office? We know Reyes or a Reyes son did, we also know Esperon did…we know Gloria’s executive secretary, Ed Ermita, did as well has his son; who else did? Running for office in RP is not a cheap affair — it would be impossible to run a campaign on the money they made as military officers, not even if they spent the entire pension money they got after retiring which would be only a few million pesos in the first place.
Of course the police guy-turned DOTC chief did too but am sure he siphon his campaign funds not from the military; if he had done it (and I’m sure he did), he got it from the cash generating cow or agency of the government of the Philippines.
Re 13 passim
Hindi ko maiwasang humanga hindi lang sa tulad ni SnV, tongue, henry 90, Vic, Jug, AdeB at iba pa sa pagtalakay, sa maingat na pagsulat ng mahabang saliksik sa isyu Ng ating bansa. Para sa akin selfless yan, in the interest of truth, kailangan pag ukulan ng oras din. Kaiba yan sa pagtalakay upang isulong ang hidden agenda di para sa bayan kundi pansarili. Nakabantay, nakaabang pero kaiba sa nagbabasa ng walang handang agenda, na bigla na lang maantig ang utak dahil mali yata yun, dapat ituwid, kulang dapat dagdagan. Yung iba, iba man ang pakay di man hangaan, hindi dapat pagbawalan. Iba ang demokrasya sa palakad ng komunista.
Yun ang puna ko kay AdeB with her sword slashing the thicket of lies to expose the truth. Lies can also be hidden by silence as silence can indicate affirmation or acceptance of the practice to cover up.
Sen. Miriam Santiago had said that one of the comptroller’s job is to raise “pabaon” money to a retiring AFP chief. She said, at least P50 M.
Hahahah…Has Santiago gone truly mad? Is she now indicting her own brother? 🙂 🙂 🙂
Ellen,
I have heard of this too but not that kind of amount… less than that. That’s not the only pabaon job of a comptroller though.
Sandiganbayan okayed Garcia plea bargain last May (during the Arroyo administration)
Claim that agreement was awaiting approval belied
BY PETER TABINGO
Malaya
THE plea bargaining agreement between Maj. Gen. (ret.) Carlos F. Garcia and the Office of the Ombudsman was approved by the Sandiganbayan Second Division on May 4, 2010 while the country was preoccupied with the presidential elections.
This was revealed yesterday by the Office of the Solicitor General in its 34-page Omnibus Motion for Intervention filed with the graft court, belying earlier statements by the Ombudsman and the Office of the Special Prosecutor that any bargaining deal was still awaiting court approval.
Hahahah…Has Santiago gone truly mad? Is she now indicting her own brother- Anna
Ha! Ha! Ha! I forgot about Benjie Defensor. Thanks, Anna.
Maybe the Aquino govt could or should enter into a different plea bargain with Garcia to force the latter to reveal everything?
Revisit this Sept. 13, 2009 post:
Tim Garcia: under arrest in designers’ garb
Fashion’s night on probation
by Peter Davis
Timothy Mark Depakakibo Garcia, a 25-year-old publicist for Marc by Marc Jacobs, has a court-ordered Fashion Week curfew.
Perched on a sleek white Armani Casa chair in his apartment in the modern, gilded Trump Plaza at 502 Park Avenue, Garcia is decked in head-to-toe designer: a supple caramel leather Alessandro dell’Acqua jacket, Alexander McQueen jeans, a thin white LnA tee shirt and YSL boots. His wrists are adorned with a big Cartier gold and silver Tank watch, a Cartier Love bracelet, a white enamel Hermes bangle and a $1000 dollar large gold plated spiked Hermes cuff called the Collier de Chien. http://www.ellentordesillas.com/?p=7176
Yep, have read that… sick people these Garcias are. Truly sick thieves all of them.
Re #24.
Campaign fund raising usually starts more than a year before election. Gloria Arroyo ran (and cheated) in 2004.
Gosh, namalengke lang ako meron na namang eskandalo! Buti pa si Garcia naka-bargain ng todo! No pwede na magka-deal ang gago na yan sa Sandiganbayan ng walang superlakas na padrino.
#10 Becky, I would guess si matandang Batangueno! Meron gustong mag-bet?
I have a feeling that Pnoy knows the how, the why and the who of this Garcia deal, just hoping that he got big balls to deliver to the public the “big fish” to kick off his anti-corruption campaign promise.
Ang swerte hanggang ngayon ng mga bata ni putot, parang sila pa ang nakapwesto!
#7
My gargantuan hands (as a result of extreme manual labor at Balatoc Mines) offer to join your “puny hands” for a thunderous applause,counselor!
I think they heard you as prosecutor Gudio [no relations ;8))] already drafted a 15-page resolution to that effect!
#9
That’s what I call excellent lawyering!!! PCert indeed is the way to go! I’d like to think that Jug would agree with me on this one too, counselor!
Moot Court Room Material: If a taxpayer would ask you to represent him pro bono to file a Petition for Writ of Mandate, compelling Prez Noy to fire Romulo, would you take it? (wink wink).
# 37
You must mean writ of mandamus. A writ of mandamus lies (is available) only if the duty is ministerial. Mandamus cannot be employed to compel a discretionary act.
The appointment or retention of gov officials is discretionary, not ministerial.
# 21
Ellen: The motion to intervene is supplicating before the same court. What are the chances of a reversal?
I’d rather take my chances before the Supremes, even if some are sheep of the Pidals.
Former Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo is helping Aquino’s legal team.
Simeon Marcelo? The Erap impeacher? Are you sure this is not a trojan?
Remember Edong Angara serving as Erap’s ES? Napakanta tuloy si Erap ng Neil Sedaka (Am I the boy that you’d lie for? The one that’s in your diary.)
#38
I thought you would take it, counselor (arguing that it is ministerial, even if denied at some point) and use it as tool to point the Prez to the right direction.
Oh yes, your ROC says “Mandamus”. My bad, counselor! Thank you! ;8))
Inquirer: Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and former Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio branded Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia’s plea bargain with the Ombudsman as smacking of a “midnight deal” under then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20110106-312746/Garcia-plea-bargain-a-midnight-deal
Re #41: Ellen: The motion to intervene is supplicating before the same court. What are the chances of a reversal?- SnV
We have to hope that public pressure would put fear on the Sandiganbayan justices. Presiding Justice Edilberto Sandoval is Aquino’s choice.
So the Supremes issued a TRO on the impeachment of the Ombudsgirl, because an earlier one was filed by Senator Salonga (ang tigas kasi ng ulo ng matanda).
Fine. There is a work-around.
There is no law that says that the House cannot consider a motion for reconsideration of the Salonga complaint dismissed by the Glue stooges. Now that the Noy boys have the majority, they should give the other side a dose of their own medicine and ram through the articles of impeachment and send it to the Senate.
There is no prescription period (period of limitations) that would bar a reconsideration. It is House business, which the House had the complete discretion to dispose of, in the manner it deems fit.
Of course a petition will be filed with the Supremes. That is when the show truly begins; when you get legal contortionists trying to outdo each other in the silly attempt to sound profound.
41
May I ask, what’s wrong with Marcelo helping Aquino’s team? Dahil ba siya ang isa sa prosecutors sa impeachment ni Erap? So are we going back to our argument here years ago that Erap deserved what he got? Or you still subscribed to the fallacy that Erap was a ‘demi-god’ to his legion of fans? I’m just returning the ‘compliment’ of the critics of the present admin who just wait for the next adverse posting in this blog to bash Aquino. I don’t mind. Politicians are fair game. This is just to up the ante some more. 🙂
Erratum:
House has complete discretion…
# 46
It’s not Aquino I object to, but Marcelo. And it’s not about Erap, but about the illegal machinations to remove Erap. It could have been Marcos for all I care. The impeachment and fake EDSA was stage managed.
It is your Noy that I am wary about. Note I said trojan. A trojan gets in, then kills the guys inside.
do u still subscribe
That’s your opinion. Pero that’s stretching the limits of the imagination so far. At any rate, the Prez needs all the legal help he can get, including yours.
# 50
True, my opinion. True further, maybe too suspicious. But I would avoid any ex-Glue lawyer like the plague.
Come now. Are we admitting that there is an absence of talent in the Philippines? Is there no provincial fiscal around with equal, even better skills?
Note Marcelo was a lawyer of the Firm, which is a corporate law firm. A firm that one poster here (AT111) called an IP firm (not intellectual property, but influence peddling).
Had he been seasoned as a criminal lawyer like a prosecutor before the Glue appointment? A provincial or city fiscal eats criminal cases for breakfast, lunch, merienda and dinner.
He knows the case, if that’s what u are asking. It was in his incumbency that the cases against the spouses Garcia were filed at the Sandigan. Like you and the rest of us here, he was as perplexed that an airtight case such as that would end up in a plea bargaining deal.And everybody agrees. Or would u rather that they start all over again? The President may have his doubts about Marcelo but I would rather give him the benefit of the doubt and listen to what he would have to say.
You give any seasoned fiscal the case folder and he would know the case as well as Marcelo in a few hours. Give it to Justice Cuevas or Estelito Mendoza, and they may run rings around Marcelo. I am not saying appoint them, but seasoned lawyers like them are that good.
There is Justice Vicente V. Mendoza, a seasoned Assistant SolGen and CA and Supreme Court justice. He is Kapampangan like Aquino. There are many more.
The problem is not with Marcelo, as everybody knows by now. Even an average lawyer will win the case. Kumpletos recados na yung kaso.The problem is with the sitting Ombudsgirl and the Sandiganbayan. The flimsy reason given that at least, for now, may mababawi na agad ang gobyerno will not simply wash. I know u will agree. Panalo na ipapatalo mo pa? Malabo di ba?
Yun naman pala eh. So get that average lawyer and get rid of the ex-Glue frontman.
Below comes from the link that SNV provided at #7 – Tax case filed against Garcia.
…
Malacañang’s move
At the Palace, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa indicated that Malacañang was still bent on making its case against the plea bargain.
“We’re still conducting our own assessment of the move taken by the Ombudsman in entering into the plea bargain and the supposed impending promulgation of it by the Sandiganbayan,” Ochoa told reporters.
He said the government “will make [its] move” when the antigraft court sets the date of the promulgation of the Garcia case.
Malacañang had earlier said that members of the military had every right to insist that Garcia be tried for plunder.
…
Reading this, it seems to me that Malacanang is prepared and “will make it’s move” when the time comes. I don’t know the composition of Prez Noy’s Legal Team on this particular case, but there is more than enough noise coming from all directions for him to take this lightly.
I do feel that that they have a plan in place and that the Team members have already played some scenarios, thoroughly, in their heads. Let’s wait and see how they sing and dance. I’d love to see the “legal contortionists”, performing a la Cirque du soleil, perhaps?
No. Marcelo has his uses. Besides, Goyang is not the one on trial here. Garcia is. And Marcelo knows the workings in the Ombudsman and the Sandigan. HE will serve the purpose.
This is the open letter of Marcelo and former prosecutor Dennis Villa Ignacio to the President:
http://www.newsbreak.ph/2010/12/23/marcelo-evidence-against-garcia-enough-to-convict-for-plunder/
Is the OSP an independent constitutional office (like Comelec, Ombudsman, etc) with fixed terms? Can’t Pnoy just fire the Special Prosecutor and replace him with an ally NOW? If Villa-Ignacio resigned due to his reported “rift” with Gutierrez, was it a setup, or a moro-moro ploy to get an Arroyo ally in place early enough? Was he a part of it? Now he and Marcelo are volunteering for Noynoy, is this a trap to ensnare Noynoy’s legal moves? Be careful, juicekupo!
Kung bastusan na ang laban I don’t find wisdom in playing clean.
I was disgusted to hear Honasan on radio early today. Taberna asked him of his thoughts about Garcia’s plea bargain, he sounded like he favored the plunderer. “Idaan muna sa proseso” was his lousy vote of confidence for this bigtime thief.
I’m not surprised, though. Garcia is a Class ’71 Peemayer.
Asked further about another mistah, Sen. Lacson, he reiterated his earlier call for Ping to surrender.
Fuck him! He himself was in hiding several times after his coups against Cory, never made the effort to surrender, now he’s preaching a different creed. What a hypocrite.
Anna,
I’m still worried about the fallout the AFP will have to go through if this “can of worms” would ever be opened…can the institution that has operated on a need to know basis survive public humiliation, its leaders exposed to suspicion and the stereotyping of the officer corps thereafter?
Can we just allow the AFP to cleanse its ranks the way they see fit as the concept of cure we have in mind right now may even be more damaging than the disease? I don’t know Anna but there are times we may have to tread carefully…
I believe that history will teach us that attempts at change by sweeping reforms never prospered, but gradual changes do, even the human race did not develop overnight but went through an “evolution.”
I’m just saying that we must be guided by wisdom not just smarts, and by an acute awareness of short term and long term impact and the management thereof on handling this issue…
tongue,
honestly, at times i get impatient with the way team malacanang is playing…like you i like to win everytime and i hate losing especially if you can anticipate the outcome looking at patterns…but in this game, we are but spectators…
…we may be in for the long haul so watch your blood pressure, this is a marathon not a hundred meter dash…lets all make it a point to see each other alive and well on the finish line… 🙂
# 58
Ellen:
That open letter, stripped of the legal analysis, sounds like a pandering job application.
Dapat ang asikasuhin na lang ng Malakanyang ay yong pag-uusig sa Reyna ng mga mandarambong na si Glorya. Mukhang wala yatang interest itong si Aquino na usigin ito. Di ba parang delaying tactics itong mga ginagawa ng mga alipores ni Glorya? Dapat tumbukin na nila … ayusin ang orihinal na problema … usigin ang mga Arroyo!!!!!.
Mukhang wala pang ginawa itong administrasyong ito na maganda sa isyu ng korapsiyon … puro dada lang. Makukuha ba yang puro daldal na itama ang mga mali ni Glorya???? Puwee!!!!
Baka puede? Pulis at NBI at BIR lang yan. Triple Dozes of Arroyo medicine. Investigahin lahat yan lahat ng mga involved (pati clerks na naambunan) sa ombudsman, sandigan bayan, mga prosecutors. Tapos upakan ng Anti graft law. Baka bribery lang at tax evasion TUMBA lahat yan. Hindi kailangan ang publicity kakalat yan sa kapuluan, sa lahat ng oficina ng gobierno. Ibig sabihin niyan P NOY means business. Dinagdagan na nga ang budget para sa mga kulungan.
Pag naipakulungan ni P NOY ang mga meron malaking kasalanan sa Pamilya Arroyo at lahat ng kanilang alipores, Mahina o Maigsi ang 15 years kay P NOY, Mababa o kulang ang 80% trust survey. Hindi ako makikipagpustahan. Gut feeling lang.
Section 1 of Article VIII of the Constitution grants the judiciary the power to determine if there was grave abuse of any branch or instrumentality of the government. That includes the Office of the Ombudsman.
So a petition for certiorari may pray for the annulment of the Ombudsgirl’s agreement for lack of jurisdiction. Her agreement as prosecutor is predicated on the agreement of the aggrieved party (AFP). Since there was none from the AFP, then she had no jurisdiction to agree. The agreement, therefore, is null and void and of no effect. That is what can be prayed for before the Supremes, to declare the agreement void.
The above, of course, is without prejudice to annulling the approval of the Sandiganbayad for the same reasons.
I just wonder the illogic of logic of reason. Pag nakulong ba ang majority ng Supreme Court justices, masisira ang institusyon sa mata ng Filipino at ng mundo. Pag nakulong ba si Gloria at mga lumabag sa batas, pag nakulong ba ang maraming Heneral ng Pulis at military, masisira ba ang mga nasabing institusyon. Sira seguro ang dangal ng mga nagkasala, hindi ang dangal ng kanilang institusyon. Baka ito ang palagay ng tao at mundo sa patay na o may grabing sakit na mga institusyon? BAGKUS seguro lalong aangat ang tingin ng tao at mundo sa bagong dangal ng mga NILINIS na institusyon. Di ba yung worms sa can of worms puedeng gamitin sa pamimingwit ng isda?
If P NOY defies and goes against the flow of this illogic of reason, ambitious Filipino politicians and future statesmen need seriously worry, he can stand in history beside the likes of Mahondas Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, to name a few.
Sa economics fallacious ang maxim ng “trickle down effects” (TDE) of improved fundamentals. Sa Corruption very effective ang “trickle down effects” for spread, continuity and protection of corruption and corrupt higher ups.
Sa BIR at Bureau of Customs MATINDI ang effectiveness dahil kunti lang at halos lahat puedeng mabasa o maambunan ng TDE. Sa military at sa Pulis napakarami ang mga tauhan para lahat maging corrupt. Sabi nga nila, at totoo naman– mas marami ang matino kaysa hindi. Kalusin mo man ang kalahating masama, marami pa rin matitira upang itayo at buhayin ang isang marangal na institusyon.
#59 Tongue, thanks for saying that out, ganyan ang tumbok ng suspetsa kong tuktok…
#64 Tedanz – January 6, 2011 8:04 pm
Dapat ang asikasuhin na lang ng Malakanyang ay yong pag-uusig sa Reyna ng mga mandarambong na si Glorya.
Hihintayin pa ang Tururut Komisyon, Tedanz! Meanwhile, tulog muna tayo with regards to this campaign moro-moro…
humus,
please take some time to look at just one of the people you mentioned closely – Nelson Mandela…after his truth commission of sorts did its job of uncovering the damage wrought by apartheid there were no substantial repercussions…no revenge by the victims…but a call to change…a healing process…
…an organization that suddenly loses most of its leaders will most likely face crises…and for one that is standing guard against threats both foreign and domestic is unthinkable…i am not against seeing justice be done here…
…what i’m saying is that as we do so we must have an acute awareness of short and long term impact as well as the management thereof…basic organizational dynamics…
I don’t advocate this. Nabasa ko lang. Pang classroom lang para makiliti ang isipan at pangagatwiran ng mga naging estudyante ko. Meron padalos-dalos, mabilis at mabisang lunas sa di makatarungan lipunan. Pangmatagalan naman at maganda ang naging resulta ng FRENCH REVOLUTION. Pati yung mga naglilinis ng lipunan, na guillotine. Kay Andres Bonifacio lang yata bumenta ito. Hindi sa sa mga anak ng establishmiento. Magandang pag aralan, pinakamahaba DAW na word ang ANTI-ESTABLISHMENTARIANISM.
Meron pang historical example: gamut sa sigid sa butong slavery ng mga itim. Abraham Lincoln may have paid for his life. But look at the blacks now in American Society. Iba ang estorya ng apartheid sa South Africa. Walang written saligan batas ang Inglaterra, pero meron sumulat, noong naglilinis sila halos walo sa sampung nabitay walang kasalanan. Dahil sa paglilinis sa Brittania, mga itinapon naging Australiano.
Food for thought lang ito. Mas pang mga pilosopo kaysa aktibong nagiisip at kumikilos para SA KAPAKANAN ng bayan.
maybe i’ve mellowed due to old age, or turned into a coward already because of the lessons of reality…
…sometimes its worthwhile looking at damage control and protecting the bottomline…
Jug
Maigsi at di malayo ang aking pananaw. Inihanay ko lang ang isang pangalan sa kasaysayan. Attempt lang yon tungkol sa impresyon ng marami sa mundo isama ang isa sa mga ngalan ng tao nabalita sa dyaryo at nasulat sa libro.
Sabi ko nga yung mga nakulong tulad nila Sukarno, Mandela at Marcos demonstrated national prominence and acceptance. Yun lang wala na. Bakit nakulong? Ano ang ginawa sa kanilang bansa? OTRA COSA na yun, Panibagong talakayan na naman ng nakakaalam.
Meron mga salita at konceptong singaw ng masamang panahon:
“damage control” spin of an event or news, precedent, culture of impunity, Ang dami pang iba. Meron salita tulad ng damage control pag nabasa ko, bias agad ako. TALIWAS ang alin mang kailangan ang damage control. Kaya minsan HABLOS o nandidilat agad tayo. Masama ang unang dating na galing sa baluktot na daan.
Malabo kay P NOY yung kanyang TUWID na daan, habang tinatahak niya ang DATING DAAN. Nasaan na nga ba yun, may naglalakad pa ba doon?
Si Socrates (o si Aristotle) yata ang tinanong ng estudyante. What is happiness? Ang sagot: Happiness is to be a good citizen.
Para sa akin lang, karamihan sa inyo Jug dito sa ellenville ay good citizens. Kaya sa sarili lang ninyo HAPPY kayo. Makabayan at malaking bagay magukol ng oras at talino sa talakayan dito lalo na at puro ang inyong motibo. Big deal ang Isulat at linisin ang lumabas sa utak ninyo bago pitikin ang sent. Ibahagi yung naging bunga na pagkamatanda ninyo sa halip na maglakwatsa, sa akin ay tanda (kahit mababaw lang) ng good citizenship. Yung mga retired at matanda Wala namang mapapala pero mahalagang magsalita. Yung mga kabataan dito, good citizen yata kung mas marami ang GAWA kaysa salita.
Napapangiti sabay iling pag nababasa kong ang tuligsa na ang pamamalakad daw ni P NOY ay pang student council. ang stilo at laman ng kanilang policy at issuances ay parang hinubog sa isang student council.
Tama naman, dalubhasa naman sa politika ang mga nagsasalita at bumabatikos. Tulad ni Joker Arroyo at iba pa sa Kongreso. Kita ko rin, nabasa ko sa press release at speech ni P NOY, ang laman at merron tadyak talagang parang galing barikada. Sincero pa. Hidden agenda ng gumawa at sumulat ay ambisyon lang, may tagong idealismo pa nga. Kaiba talaga sa mga speeches na pinanday noong panahon ni Erap at Gloria. Kunti lang ang pambobola, ganda at husay ng jargon, at walang pagtatakip sa pagyurak sa batas.
Subukan nga ni P NOY pumili at gawing cabinet members kahit isang buwan lang ang mga chairman ng student councils ng ating mga state universities at colleges. Baka maraming matae sa salwal sa kongreso.
tama ka humus, masyado yatang minamaliit ni joker ang idealism ng kabataan…
…kahit ako, aaminin ko na hindi ako kasing tapang ng mga student council na yan…kaya pa nilang tumingin sa mundo na black or white lang…ako may mga kulay na…mahirap pag may mga responsibilidad ka na…
Karamihan sa obra maestra, nagsisimula sa black and white, nakukulayan, pinagaganda ng karanasan at talentong hinasa ng panahon. Kung pito lang ang kulay ng bahaghari, libong kulay ang ganda ng kalikasan. Black and white, o bahaghari simula lamang ng pamantayan. Kung sa pagtanda pagbabago sumisibol ang responsibilidad mayroong halaga rin ang pagbabago ng kulay.
Sabi nga ni Rizal Ang Kabataan (na hindi anak o apo ng magnanakaw) ay siyang pag asa ng bayan. Ang marangal na katandaan naman ay siyang naman gabay ng kabataan.
Re N° 61: juggernaut – January 6, 2011 5:52 pm
Jug, I understand.
Indeed…
Ellen:
That open letter, stripped of the legal analysis, sounds like a pandering job application. -SNV
—
You are sooo right on the money again, counselor!!! Hahaha! I can just imagine Sim kneeling and begging Prez Noy to be a…. legal researcher of the OSG, with that Geisha-lips he is endowed with? Hahaha!
But why should I be surprised when his peers talked about him being always on the last line of defense/offense during frat-fights between ma-ro and archrival pa-alps in the hallowed grounds of Malcolm Hall (or could it be because he is only 4’2″, the size of a Glorilla? Hahaha!). Spineless Bangus, er…Boneless?
I can’t blame you for putting him on the Trojan Condom category! “Let us do the draft or the legal research plis plis pliiiiis, Mr Presideeeeent!” His motive is indeed, suspect! Hahaha!
bear with joker…he is a joke…noong batabata pa siya walang siyang ideals,,,or never heard sa kanya ang salitang idealism..ngayon pang matanda na siya…he will be another siraulo..
Aquino: We’ll go to SC if Sandigan junks our plea on Garcia case
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/209943/aquino-well-go-to-sc-if-sandigan-junks-our-plea-on-garcia-case
okay, may plan na kay Garcia… msyadong nalilibang si De Lima… si Gloria naman! kamusta na yung plunder na isinampa kay Gloria sa DOJ… wala bang update?
magandang propaganda ito ng mga kalaban ng AFP,pagnakawala ang isang ito.
“mga nakulong tulad nila Sukarno, Mandela at Marcos demonstrated national prominence” – humus
All three were incarcerated for three different reasons though; Sukarno
Oooops…waaa hapen?
All three were incarcerated for different reasons though; Sukarno simply was stripped of his power, Mandela was a political activist convicted of sabotage, Macoy was for murdering his father’s political rival.
60 thousand pesos bail for 300million plus loot! Pretty much equates to 600 pesos for a 300 thousand pesos windfall.
# 83
Some plan. Everybody goes to the SC kapag natalo.
De Lima actually had the planned backup action – the tax evasion cases.
Plunder of Gloria? It is the Ombudsgirl who has jurisdiction. If the DOJ moves, they will get a TRO from any court. If they file the complaint at the Ombudsman, the girl will file a watered down case a la Nani Perez and the borjer.
OT:
There is a report about Michael Ray Aquino at the abs-cbn, which seems to be a rehash of Ellen’s article at the Malaya.
The final paragraph is in error. It says that even if MRA wins his appeal, he will still be extradited because of the espionage case.
Wrong. Extradition is only for offenses committed in the Philippines. You are returned to face the charges there. The result of the espionage case is a deportation. You are kicked out of the US, but not necessarily to the country of origin. One can request to be kicked out to any receiving country.
A little research or consultation with abs-cbn lawyers could have saved the accuracy of this report.
I’ll call the attention of Lynda Jumilla, the writer. She’s a friend.
I think Lynda was able to also get a copy of Michael Ray Aquino’s appeal.
Re # 63 and 81, I think the reason why Marcelo and Villa-Ignacio were practically begging Pnoy to allow them to help was they knew the quality of Malacañang’s legal team including the OSG.
Just look at this remark of OSG Cadiz (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/01/06/11/solgen-reversal-garcia-plea-bargain-deal-slim) saying that he knows there is a slim chance that their appeal would be granted. Why even say that? Is he conditioning the minds of the people for a rejection? Bakit hindi na lang muna siya tumahimik?
I myself do not believe that the Sandiganbayan will reverse itself. There is no harm in calling a spade a spade.
Such an outrageous deal could only have been obtained with either money or threats. If the Sandiganbayan justices were not paid, it is possible that the pressure-maker has the goods on them for some other misdeed. Somebody certainly has something on them, which is why the deal was approved.
Speaking of Simeon Marcelo, there is some info on him from Frank Chavez’s libel case:
http://libelcase.wordpress.com/2010/07/20/hello-world/
Subukan nga ni P NOY pumili at gawing cabinet members kahit isang buwan lang ang mga chairman ng student councils ng ating mga state universities at colleges. Baka maraming matae sa salwal sa kongreso. -humus
I wish, I wish, I wish…. bakit nga ba hindi?!
Re # 63 and 81, I think the reason why Marcelo and Villa-Ignacio were practically begging Pnoy to allow them to help was they knew the quality of Malacañang’s legal team including the OSG. – Ms Ellen
I beg to differ Ms Ellen. Marcelo and Cadiz are frat brods, both are sigma rhoans (as verified by my inside horse trader), one would not question the ability of the other publicly, expressed or implied, besides we can now hear Cadiz regurgitating the words of Marcelo. I think the Trojan Condom is already in, and all he is asking now is to get his legal researcher’s fee or to formalize such position in the OSG’s plantilla. Was the SolGen’s preemptive surrender influenced by his brod Sim? Hmmmmm…. SNV, did you say that “The Firm” (that Angangco, another Boneless Bangus, proudly adopted as their business name’s alias…. How did these mediocre students make government leaders believed in them? Freakiiiiiin Amaaaaazing!) is an IP low opis? IP as in Influence Peddler not Intellectual Property? Here we see another example of how they practice Low! Shet! I hope Prez Noy is fully aware of this. (Jug if you have the right connect, time to alert the Prez, just in case).
Thanks for the URL on Geisha Lips a.k.a. Trojan Condom, counselor! Nyahaha!
Just saw this on TV – Sandiganbayan claims it has not approved the Garcia plea bargain, gives Garcia and and State Prosecutor 15 days to reply to OSG’s motion for intervention.
WTF? Plea bargain not approved yet but Garcia is already out on bail, the bank accounts have been unfrozen and they continue to enjoy their loot this very moment?
Can anyone explain this in English or Tagalog? Sorry, but I am not fluent in stupid.
Tongue, I am as flabbergasted as you.