EDC confounds save Mt. Kanlaon coalition

I was reading Micheal Crichton’s well-reached and documented expose on how environmentalist groups manipulate statistics and circumstances to sow panic and fear about global catastrophes. Suddenly, I learned that the Energy Development Corp. had run rings around the Mt. Kanlaon Coalition.

How? Simple. The group had earlier raised an outcry about the EDC bent on felling centuries-old trees in the Buffer zone. But EDC simply built a road around the 100-centimeter diameter trees. They also felled smaller trees, but not in the quantity which the coalition had predicted.

The most telling is that members of the provincial monitoring team, chaired by Mae Javella and made up of Board members Nehemias de la Cruz and Vice Gov. Emilio Yulo III also visited the area and confirmed the bypassing of the aging trees by the EDC.

While the Diocese of Bacolod kept stoking the signature campaign to stop the buffer zone entry, the EDC announced that it is working double time to meet the target of supplying power to Negros Occidental by 2011, according to northern Negros geothermal production field engineer Gian de la Cruz.

EDC also had awarded reforestation contracts for 95 hectares of the Minoyan Integrated Forest Protection Farmers Association and the Minoyan Agrarian Reform Association as part of the 400 hectares that the company committed to reforest in a span of five years.

This brings to 135 hectares the total number of reforested areas that EDC could be able complete in replanting in the next few days, Dela Cruz declared.

EDC hired the services of Drs. Perry Ong and Dan Lagunzad of UPLB Los Baños to undertake the necessary preliminary surgery. The same experts reviewed the results and recommendations of the biodiversity study that EDC conducted through Maunsel Phils. and review by the Park Board’s Technical Working Group. This is composed of DENR and NGOs.

Well, the battle is still ongoing. And the RTC is expected to rule on the suit filed by the Save Mt. Kanlaon Coalition against the EDC. But the coalition had suffered a major setback recently when the RTC asked that it drops from the case local officials, led by Governor Isidro Zayco, Vice Gov. Yulo and several others.

I would not have wanted to touch a case involving a Filipino doctor who got arrested upon arrival at Guam Airport and incarcerated incommunicado for several days. But the problem is there were violation of the Extradition Treaty between the United States and the Philippines. Besides, as pointed out by lawyer Espiritu, the case could happen to several other physicians in Iloilo and Bacolod City.

This case involved Dr. Diogenes Dioniso, proprietors of the CDFM Medical Clinic in General Kalentong, Mandaluyong City.

He is presently under “house arrest” at 8908 Crawford Avenue Skokie, Illinois 60076.

The funny thing is that he has a monitor gadget on his feet. This gives him less than three hours a day to attend to his personal needs outside his residence.

As detailed by Espiritu, on Aug. 31, 2001, four persons went to the clinic of Dr. Dionisio to seek information on the ongoing Champus/Tricare project in the Philippines.

This was the celebrated case involving US veterans and their dependents given medical care in this country.

Actually, the four were postal inspectors investigating alleged anomalies by local physicians of US veterans in Pampanga and Olongapo City.

But, asked to produce their identification cards, mission orders from the proper US authorities, the four refused.

“Dr. Dionisio was made to sign random billings for medical services rendered to US Veterans. But no copy was left in his possession.

Lawyer Espiritu said he was requested by Dr. Dionisio to meet the alleged investigators in a Makati hotel.

“I reiterated the demand for ID cars and their mission orders. But, as expected they refused. I was informed instead that the doctor had confessed,” Espiritu said.

I was surprised, but told them that if they have any evidence against Dr. Dionisio, they can file a case against the latter in the Philippines and we shall be very happy to answer whatever charges they can think off. I further warned them that it would be the last time we will tolerate their illegal acts and would not hesitate to call the police to arrest them if they come back to the clinic of the doctor without a valid court order,” Espiritu added.

But for seven years thereafter, nothing was heard about the anonymous investigators.

But, unknown to both the doctor and the lawyer, a criminal complaint was filed against Dr. Dionisio in Wisconsin, Illinois, USA, four years after that incident. This was the kickback racket regarding the “Champus/Tricare project.”

The Federal Court issued a warrant of arrest against the doctor sans his knowledge. His name was entered in the computers of all airports as a “wanted criminal,” to be arrested upon setting foot on any US state or territory.

On March 9, the doctor and his family went to Guam for a vacation and to play golf. But on arrival, he was “abducted” at the airport by US marshals who immediately handcuffed both his hands and feet “in plain view of the public.”

He was incarcerated in Guam, Hawaii, San Berdinao, California, and finally whisked to Wisconsin, Illinois.

He was held “incommunicado for 15 days” without any communication with the outside world despite his plea to call his family or relatives in the US or his right to counsel.

Thus, for the first part of the series on the travails of Dr. Dionisio and which could attract other physicians from Western Visayas who may be subjected to the same treatment should they make the mistake of going to the US since it was clear that several more had been investigated regarding the case.

Espiritu, however, said he expects to battle the same especially since it also involves violation of the Extradition Treaty between the US and RP.