Poe’s camp has ‘smoking gun’ vs Manapat

National Archives Director Ricardo Manapat might have brought home a computer supposedly containing evidence that he allegedly forged documents against presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr., but one of his former subordinates still has a "smoking gun" against him.

Poe’s spokesman Sen. Vicente Sotto III said yesterday that one of the three National Archives employees who accused Manapat of tampering with public documents kept originals of the papers that Manapat had allegedly faked.

Rodolfo Reyes, spokesman for Poe’s campaign, confirmed in a statement that one of the archives employees who testified against Manapat in a Senate hearing was able to keep originals of the documents. Reyes refused to identify the employee.

During the Senate hearing, archives employees Remmel Talabis, Emman Llamera and Vicelyn Tarin admitted that Manapat ordered them to tamper with documents that were later used by lawyer Victorino Fornier as evidence in a disqualification petition against Poe.

In a recent interview, Sotto said, "We were unable to tackle it at the hearing but, if necessary, we will release these papers to the public. (The archives employees) were able to keep a copy of the doctored documents. One of them was able to keep an original of a doctored document before it was photocopied."

Sotto also said Manapat took out, without authority, the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer in his office and was responsible for the disappearance of two bundles of notarial records from the National Archives office in Caloocan City.

Manapat earlier testified before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Senate that he found microfilm copies of a purported marriage certificate between Poe’s father, Allan Fernando Poe, and a certain Paulita Gomez.

He also testified that he found an affidavit, supposedly executed by Gomez, alleging that the elder Poe committed bigamy and concubinage.

But Talabis, Llamera and Tarin testified that Manapat separately ordered to forge the public documents which he claimed to have found.

Sotto said the three would have presented the documents in their possession during the Senate hearing but were not given the opportunity.

On Friday, Tarin said in a television interview that Manapat took home the computer that supposedly contained evidence against Manapat on the day he filed an indefinite leave of absence.

Manapat admitted to Tarin’s allegations but said there was nothing irregular about his actions.

In his testimony before the Comelec, Manapat said the documents presented by Fornier were authentic and were on microfilm at the National Archives.

But University of the Philippines archival expert Aida Sarmiento said microfilms can be faked through a process called "splicing."

UP microfilm operator Liberato Javier also said the originals of microfilms should not be destroyed to enable experts to verify the authenticity of microfilmed documents.

Javier said that if the original copy of a document is missing, then the microfilm document may not exist either.

At the Senate hearing, even Senate President Franklin Drilon said that, as a lawyer, he would be more inclined to believe the testimony of Talabis, Llanera and Tarin.

The three employees related, step by step, how they were ordered by Manapat to fabricate official documents, Drilon said.

Manapat, on the other hand merely denied the charges against him.

PAGC To Probe Manapat?

Meanwhile, the Palace said an that investigation against Manapat is the judgment of the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) and not President Arroyo.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said there is no need for the President to order any investigation into allegations that Manapat falsified pubic documents and obstructed justice.

Manapat can be subjected to a probe by the PAGC, which has the "mandate to act motu propio, in other words, (upon) receipt of some information and they believe an investigation is warranted — even without a direct order or instructions from the President."

"The PAGC has a mandate," he said. "I believe the PAGC is monitoring the developments."

Bunye said the President has designated Marietta Chou to take over as officer-in-charge of the National Archives from Manapat.

Besides the Senate investigation into the allegedly "faked" documents, Bunye said Manapat faces other investigations, particularly on complaints lodged against him by other employees of the archives.

"This is without prejudice to other investigations because of revelations of other employees," Bunye said, adding that Manapat "will be given a chance to clear himself."

Manapat’s name, Bunye said, "has been put under a cloud of doubt and it’s incumbent upon him to really clear himself, if only to preserve the integrity and the reputation of the National Archives."

As of yesterday, the Palace has not yet received any complaint against Manapat but at least one is expected to be filed soon after the Senate concludes its investigation.

Presidential campaign spokesman Michael Defensor said "the question, really, is the microfilm. If it is fake or not?"

"It would be a disservice if we do not look into the microfilm and check the authenticity of that film," Defensor said.

He added that Malacañang is willing to have an independent body of experts to determine the authenticity of those microfilms

If (Poe’s documents) were microfilmed in the 1960s, then it is not fake, he said. "But, if it was microfilmed recently, then Manapat is liable. Definitely, people would be liable and culpable for that," Defensor said.

He also said the administration does not want to see the investigation turn into a political debate. Instead, they want an immediate resolution of the controversies about Poe’s citizenship at the soonest possible time, Defensor said. — With Marichu Villanueva