Tan denies giving documents to missing PR man

Presidential friend and BW Resources chairman Dante Tan admitted yesterday he had hired the services of missing publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer" but denied giving him important documents that may have led to his abduction late last year.

At the same time, Tan expressed full confidence he would be vindicated by a fair and unbiased trial of the stock manipulation case filed against him.

Tan, who pleaded not guilty to charges of stock manipulation and violations of the Revised Securities Act (RSA) filed before him at a lower court yesterday, called former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairman Perfecto Yasay a "prolific liar" for linking the Dacer disappearance to the BW case.

During clarificatory questioning at the Senate impeachment trial the other day, Yasay said he suspected Dacer was abducted because he was about to divulge vital information related to the BW insider trading case.

In a radio interview, Tan said he hired Dacer when the BW scandal broke out, but only for a period of "a few weeks or less than a month."

He explained that he decided to terminate Dacer’s services because he could not commit to the hectic schedule arranged by the publicist. Dacer had apparently asked Tan to attend numerous forums and issue statements on a regular basis to defend himself from the accusations of stock manipulation and insider trading.

Witnesses claimed Dacer was abducted by armed men on Nov. 24 while the publicist was on his way to his office at the Manila Hotel. There had been speculations that Dacer had in his possession bundles of sensitive documents which could be detrimental to his former client in the BW case. There were also theories that the document could link the President to the controversial gaming firm.

"I don’t know what Yasay is talking about. I gave no documents to Dacer. His role was simply to introduce me to the media and explain my side. He remains a friend. I terminated his services because I couldn’t meet his schedule," Tan said.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Ernesto Maceda, acting as presidential spokesman for the trial, vehemently belied Yasay’s claims.

"It is not surprising for Jun Yasay to just say anything in all directions because he really got into a lot of trouble for his conflicting testimonies," Maceda said.

The former senator also said his "gut feel" is that Dacer would eventually re-surface after the impeachment trial. He did not elaborate.

‘Not guilty’

Tan pleaded "not guilty" to three counts of stock manipulation and two counts of violation of the Revised Securities Act before the Pasig City Regional Trial Court yesterday.

The BW chairman, shareholder Jimmy Juan and broker Eduardo "Moonie" Lim Jr. had earlier been charged for alleged manipulation of the gaming company’s listed shares. Government prosecutors said the three men conspired to cause artificial stock sales in an effort to boost the price of BW shares by more than 5,000 percent from March to October 1999.

In a statement, Tan said he has full confidence in the judicial system.

"A fair, unbiased trial will ensure that after the court hears my side it will clear me of the charges against me and that I will be vindicated," he said.

Tan also appealed to everyone to be fair and not to pre-judge him.

The businessman has been accused of employing a "deceptive or manipulative device" to create a false impression of heavy trading in BW shares. He also failed to report ownership of some 18.6 percent of the outstanding shares of the gaming firm, way above the 10 percent required by law.

Juan has been charged of exceeding the 10 percent ownership while Lim, who traded BW shares, is accused of violating the broker-director rule of the RSA.

The three men had earlier tried to block the arraignment by asking Judge Briccio Ygaña of Pasig RTC Branch 153 to allow them to file a petition for review with the justice department.

However, Ygaña decided to push through with the arraignment on the ground that the rules on criminal procedures compel the court to expedite the hearings. – With Marichu Villanueva, Liberty Dones