Perez - Gatchalian meet set Monday

Justice Secretary Hernando Perez disclosed yesterday he is scheduled to meet Monday afternoon with William Gatchalian, a crony of former President Joseph Estrada, to discuss what the businessman knows about the ousted leader’s cases.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is compiling documents and readying the criminal charges against Estrada.

Perez said state prosecutors are in the process of evaluating a ninth plunder case to be filed against the deposed president, involving the Waterfront hotels of Gatchalian, the so-called plastics king.

"We don’t have the complete documents yet. But this is similar to the case of Belle Corp.," Perez said.

Earlier, Perez said they are filing an eighth plunder case against Estrada based on the testimonies of former heads of state pension fund agencies. The disgraced president allegedly pocketed P189.7 million in kickbacks from stock investments of the Social Security System and the Government Service Insurance System with Belle Corp., a publicly listed gaming and leisure company.

Three of the cases being built up by prosecutors involve the capital offense of economic plunder.

Perez admitted that he was not sure he can convince Gatchalian to turn his back on Estrada and reveal everything he knows.

"I am not even sure if he is willing to testify. What I am sure of is that by this time, the former president has already talked to him," Perez said.

Overall Deputy Ombudsman Margarito Gervacio revealed the other day that the former president lent the Filipino-Chinese businessman P500 million to convert the Davao Insular Hotel into a casino.

"I’m not saying this is true, but this is what my friends told me because they know I am involved in this investigation. They said Gatchalian’s hotels will be transformed into casinos," Gervacio said.

He added that the P500 million was part of the loan to the Wellex Group from the "Jose Velarde account" in Equitable-PCI Bank as testified by bank executive Clarissa Ocampo during Estrada’s aborted impeachment trial.

Three of Gatchalian’s Waterfront hotels already have casinos. Only the Davao Insular, which he bought from the Ayala family in 1999, did not have a gambling facility.

The businessman failed to secure a casino franchise from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. for the hotel.

So far, four Estrada allies — controversial businessman Mark Jimenez, former GSIS president and general manager Federico Pascual, former SSS chief Carlos Arellano and Belle executive William Ocier — have already submitted sworn statements implicating Estrada in alleged anomalous transactions.

Gatchalian’s name cropped up after Pascual stated in a sworn affidavit that Waterfront Phils. Inc. invested in Belle.

"Were it not for the directive of Estrada, the GSIS would not have acquired such a large volume of Belle shares because I personally didn’t want to touch Belle Corp., just like Waterfront," Pascual said.

Estrada supporters, riot police clash in Ermita

At least five people were injured after anti-riot policemen and Estrada supporters clashed near the Supreme Court (SC) building on Padre Faura street in Ermita, Manila yesterday.

The incident was the first to turn violent since Erap loyalists conducted daily rallies to protest an SC decision that upheld the legitimacy of the Arroyo presidency.

Witnesses said the incident took place at 3:45 p.m. when policemen pushed the protesters back to the sidewalks after the latter started occupying portions of Taft Avenue. Police reportedly went after the protesters who began throwing rocks.

The Western Police District Tactical Operations Center, however, flatly denied a clash took place, saying the reports of injuries were simply an over-reaction.

Senior Inspector Mark Baun, officer-in-charge of the anti-riot unit, said they had orders to keep open the busy thoroughfare and keep traffic flowing. Traffic had backed up as far as Quirino Avenue after protesters occupied portions of Taft.

Baun did not say if there were any injuries, but the nearby Philippine General Hospital (PGH) said they treated five people with head cuts. There were traces of blood on the pavement after some 500 protesters were dispersed by policemen.

Romy de Guzman, a protester, claimed that anti-Estrada groups had infiltrated their ranks, and were the one who threw rocks that also hit the rallyists.

The PGH likewise denied there was one fatality in the clash as claimed by Estrada supporters. – With Jose Aravilla