SC moves to speed up resolution of plunder, perjury raps vs Estrada

Three justices have been named by the Supreme Court as alternate members of the Sandiganbayan special division to speed up the resolution of the plunder and perjury cases against ousted President Joseph Estrada.

The three are Associate Justices Godofredo Legaspi, Ma. Cristina Cortez-Estrada and Norberto Geraldez.

The court’s action was in response to a request, dated March 30, 2005, of the prosecution to confirm the authority of the presiding justice to appoint and designate alternate members of the special division.

The anti-graft court special division, chaired by Presiding Justice Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, has two other regular members, Associate Justices Francisco Villaruz Jr. and Diosdado Peralta.

Taking the witness stand as the prosecution’s 54th witness, Annette Peralta Tamayo, an employee of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s filing and records section, said that except for the ADE Food, Inc., the registrations of FELT Food Services, Inc.; Primetime Entertainment for Television Production, Inc.; Alpha Funds, Inc.; 24-K International Food, Inc.; First LPL Land Syndication Corp.; Asis-Ejercito Garments, Inc.; All Hot Soup, Inc.; and Electronic Sentry System, Inc., were all revoked only on Nov. 11 this year.

The SEC told the Sandiganbayan special division that it has revoked the registrations of the eight corporations, owned by the Estradas, due to its failure to submit the required annual report about the company set by the SEC.

Sen. Luisa Ejercito and Estrada have a subscribed capital amounting to P42,500 and a paid up capital of P17,000 each, the SEC added.

Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa Ignacio said Estrada may have used a small figure in their subscribed capital and paid up capital for purposes of cheating the government in terms of paying taxes.

As testified by SEC officials, these corporations were still in existence and operating as of December 1998.

The registrations of these corporations in the SEC were only revoked last November.

Aside from the ADE, the SEC officials said that Estrada was also named incorporating director of the Alpha Funds, Inc.; Primetime Entertainment Television Production, Inc.; Electronic Sentry System, Inc.; All Hot Soup and FELT Food Services, Inc., where he has a total of P1,074,000 subscribed capital and P385,500 paid up capital.

Meanwhile, a representative of the Armed Forces Judge Advocate General told the special division the names of Generals Arturo Cerillo, Arturo and Carlos Braganza, and Janette Santiago, who were summoned to testify in Estrada’s plunder trial, do not appear in the roll of active members of the Armed Forces.

"They could have been retired, but in so far as our records, we don’t have the list of those names," he said.

The JAGO representative said the Armed Forces has in its list an "Alberto Braganza," and that the only "Santiago" the military knows is retired Armed Forces chief Gen. Dionisio Santiago.

On the other hand, lawyers of Interior Secretary Angelo Reyes and Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. promised the court to produce them after another subpoena has been issued.

However, the lawyer of Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza has moved for the invalidation of the subpoena.

The court has given him 10 days to file a motion to quash.

The defense has called to the witness stand the police and military officers who had withdrawn their loyalty to Estrada at the height of the military-backed civilian uprising that toppled Estrada on Jan. 20, 2001.

Reyes was Armed Forces chief under Estrada, while Mendoza and Ebdane headed the Philippine National Police one after the other after President Arroyo had taken over the government.

Former senator Rene Saguisag, Estrada’s lead counsel, said they have summoned these officials to show that the plot to oust Estrada started as early as 2000.

"That’s why Erap lost his immunity," he said.

"He should have been immune before 2004. He was prematurely deprived of immunity. The testimony of those sought to be subpoenaed could buttress our political persecution theme.

"All betrayed the public trust in a disgraceful conspiracy to grab power that has divided the country since. You can’t reward these plotters. It’s just as if you suddenly have a mole in the Estrada Cabinet." — Jose Rodel Clapano, Delon Porcalla