Chavit: Estrada controlled jueteng one month into office

Within a month of taking his oath of office as 13th president of the Republic, Joseph Estrada controlled jueteng operations and received P400 million in protection money, former Ilocos Sur Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson told the Sandiganbayan yesterday.

After many attempts by the defense panel to delay the presentation of Singson, the prosecution’s star witness in the plunder case against Estrada testified before the anti-graft court’s special division that he personally gave Estrada P400 million of P545 million in jueteng protection money over a 21-month period, starting with payments made within a month of Estrada’s assumption of the presidency, personally delivering the cash to Estrada’s San Juan home and to the Palace.

In his testimony, Singson said: "The former president called me up and asked me to come over to his house on No.1 Polk st., North Greenhills, San Juan. I was still (Ilocos Sur) governor then. So, I went there at night. When I arrived in (former) President Estrada’s residence... the guard told me to go straight to the kitchen."

There, Singson said, he saw Estrada already talking with Charlie "Atong" Ang about jueteng collections in other provinces: "(Former) president Estrada want(ed) to expand the operations of jueteng all over the country. Later on, (suspected jueteng kingpin Rodolfo) ‘Bong’ Pineda arrived and joined the meeting."

Singson testified that Estrada wanted him to act as his bagman and deliver his cut of jueteng collections to the Estrada home on Polk street. Quoting Estrada, Singson said, "Bong, mula ngayon, wag ka na magdala ng pera dito, dahil, pag ikaw ang nagdadala, eh, masyadong halata (Bong, from now on, stop bringing money here, because, when you are the bagman it is too obvious)."

Singson said Estrada wanted him and Ang to deliver the jueteng money because "it will be more discreet if I will be the one to deliver (the money) to his house because I am a governor."

The following day, Singson said in his testimony before the graft court, Ang immediately met with jueteng operators from all over the country at his office near the San Juan town hall, "I know about Ang’s meeting with the jueteng operators because I was there listening," Singson said, adding that the centralization of jueteng collections was initiated by Ang after he met with collectors.

Singson also clarified for the court his erstwhile friendship with Estrada: "I have known (Estrada) since 30 years ago, prior to August 1998. He was not yet a mayor then, he was still a movie actor. My mother used to be a movie producer."

When Estrada became mayor of San Juan, the friendship between Estrada and Singson grew: "Whenever there is a birthday celebration and other occasions, he (Estrada) would invite me and we used to go out along with Fernando Poe Jr."

Likewise, Ang and Pineda were also in the former president’s inner circle of friends, Singson said: "Ang and Estrada were constant companions everyday, either when Estrada was in the country or going abroad. Pineda is the godfather of Jinggoy. Bong is the brother of Romy Pineda."

Singson also told the graft court that he has been receiving death threats: "I was receiving death threats (over the) phone. There are some unidentified people also casing my house. The last time I received phone threats was last week."

Singson was the whistleblower who catalyzed the Estrada impeachment trial in 2000, after he accused the jailed former president of amassing more than P4 billion in ill-gotten wealth by receiving, among other illegal payoffs, jueteng protection money of P545 million, skimming P70 million of the P130 million tobacco excise taxes of Ilocos Sur province.

Defense lawyer Manuel Pamaran attempted to extend the cross examination of Singson’s personal secretary, Emma Lim, who also testified for the prosecution, by repeating his questions several times – including queries regarding the manner by which Lim delivered P5 million in jueteng collections to Estrada at Malacañang through Estrada’s secretary, Malou Florendo in 1999.

Ombudsman Aniano Desierto cut to the chase by immediately objecting to Pamaran’s line of questioning: "Let it be put on the record that the defense counsel throws repetitious questions already asked by the other counsels in order to delay the proceedings and the presentation of Singson. He will talk 20 to 2,000 questions to delay the proceedings, so that we will proceed another day for the trial."

Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Minita Nazario ordered the prosecution to present Singson after Desierto’s objection. However, Pamaran had yet another delay tactic up his sleeve — he objected to the participation of Solicitor General Simeon Marcelo in the proceedings: "Marcelo is encroaching on the independence of the Office of the Ombudsman. What is the use of the independence of the Ombudsman, if it itself is allowing the other independent government agency (Office of the Solicitor General) to encroach on its principal functions? It is improper, illegal and unconstitutional."

Nazario overruled all the defense counsel’s objections and ordered that Singson be presented.

Finally, Singson took the witness stand and testified under direct examination by Marcelo that sometime in August 1998, Estrada asked him to go to the Estrada residence on No. 1 Polk st. in North Greenhills, San Juan where he met with Ang.

Singson’s testimony under direct examination by the prosecution panel resumes next week, before he will be subjected to cross-examination by Estrada’s defense lawyers.

Marcelo, for his part, said Singson’s testimony was a "good start," adding that "all these political upheavals were started by Singson and he will finish them."

Estrada was ousted from the helm of government in January, 2001 after mass protests coalesced into a repeat of the 1986 EDSA people power revolut. The mass actions were sparked by Singson’s accusations of Estrada’s corruption and the impeachment trial of Estrada that followed shortly after Singson went public with his story.