October 19, 2000, The Philippine Star, Chavit Links Estrada to kidnaps, KB Rubout, by Jaime Laude

from web site

October 19, 2000, The Philippine Star, Chavit Links Estrada to kidnaps, KB Rubout, by Jaime Laude and Christina Mendez,

Greenhills, San Juan, (STAR) - After his exposé about a gambling payoff, Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson dropped another bombshell on President Estrada, this time accusing him of being involved in several kidnappings and the rubout of 11 suspected bank robbers in May 1995.

Singson made the revelation during a jampacked breakfast forum of the Greenhills Walking Corp. at the Ristorante La Dolce Fontana in Greenhills, San Juan.

A "delegation" from Malacanang composed of Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) Chairwoman Alice Reyes and presidential friend Charlie "Atong" Ang was also invited to the forum but failed to attend.

Zamora had called up STAR publisher Max Soliven, the forum’s host, to say that he had to meet with members of the Asset Privatization Trust that morning.

Only Angelito Banayo, the presidential adviser on political affairs and general manager of the Philippine Tourism Authority, was present for the administration side in that forum.

"He is the only brave man from Malacañang to attend the gathering," Soliven said.

Singson said he has evidence that would link the President to a kidnapping incident as well as the summary execution of 11 suspected members of the Kuratong Baleleng gang on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on May 18, 1995, when Mr. Estrada was still Vice President and chief of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission.

"I have the affidavits of victims implicating the President in the Kuratong Baleleng and kidnapping activities," the enbattled governor said. "I will just submit to the Senate the affidavits of those who were summarily executed."

Singson also said the Senate should invite Ang, whom he said had boasted about his connection with Philippine National Police chief Director General Panfilo Lacson.

"Atong Ang bragged to me several times that he had clout with General Lacson because it was him (Atong) who paid the witnesses to silence them," he said.

He claimed that Mr. Estrada was involved in the kidnapping of two of the female relatives of Joey de Leon, the slain leader of the notorious Red Scorpion Gang.

The governor said sworn affidavits of several policemen tend to point to Mr. Estrada as behind the abduction of Magdalena Apostol and Carmelita Intal, the sister and niece, respectively, of De Leon.

De Leon's relatives were snatched by still unidentified armed men in Pasong Tamo, Makati, while they were on their way to pay their telephone bills.

During an investigation, then Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Garcia, former head of the PNP’s Intelligence Group, executed an affidavit, stating that he saw the two women alive but were held incommunicado at the Antipolo house of Edward Echauz.

Echauz is Mr. Estrada’s treasurer at the Partido ng Masang Pilipino.

Garcia, who is now retired, also said in his affidavit that he was with now Chief Superintendent Virtus Gil, head of the PNP Crime Laboratory, when they visited Echauz's residence.

In another affidavit, a certain SPO1 Ramon Ocampo confessed his participation in the abduction of Apostol and Intal and the two women’s confinement in the Antipolo house.

Ocampo further stated that the women were later transferred to a house in Dasmariñas, Cavite, where they were tortured and finally killed by garrote.

According to the policeman, the bodies of the two women were later chopped into pieces, placed inside several sacks, and then dumped in an open irrigation canal.

Ocampo was reported missing after he executed his affidavit, and is now feared dead.

Singson said copies of these affidavits were furnished to him by military men.

During the same forum, the governor retold his tale on how he had delivered about P130 million in jueteng money to the President’s residence on nearby Polk street in Greenhills, San Juan.

He said that before he went to Polk street, he and Atong met at the residence of Ang’s mother near the boundary of Mandaluyong and San Juan.

"There, I saw Atong putting several bags inside his jeep," Singson said.

When they reached Mr. Estrada’s residence, Ang instructed him to wait in the vehicle as he was going inside first.

The governor later followed and was met by First Lady Luisa "Loi" Ejercito, who "thanked" him.

As soon as Singson met Mr. Estrada, the President informed the governor that he received P70 million from Ang.

However, Singson said he gave P130 million to Ang. This infuriated the President, and summoned his friend, who was berated by Mr. Estrada for interfering in the business of the First Family.

Banayo, meanwhile, told Singson to stop shifting his tirades to such kidnapping stories and instead focus on the jueteng scandal.

He said the people have already heard enough of the governor’s stories, and it is now but proper to bring the issue to Congress before it further damages the economy.

"The country is going to the dogs just because one man dared point a finger at the top man," Banayo said.
"The accusations are serious that it will only take a single person to file an impeachment against the President if only to remove the case from the bar of public opinion," he said.

Banayo said Singson does not have the credibility that would justify the resignation of the Chief Executive.
"Singson has low credibility," he said. "If one person, like Singson … can shoot down the President, then what will happen to our country?"

"We just have to go to the regular business of government. There is an economy to watch. There is our own private lives to take care of," he added.

Banayo also appealed to give the President a chance to defend himself.

"I really don’t know when the President will come out. The President is definitely calling for a press conference, but I don’t know when," he said. Singson will attend Senate investigation.

Singson also told the same forum that he will continue to attend the Senate hearings "if smiling is allowed, (if) he could freely consult his lawyers, and (if) he could answer beyond ‘yes’ or ‘no’."

The governor had earlier expressed his disenchantment with the ongoing inquiry, where he felt he was being insulted.

"They make me look like as if I was in grade one as senators only wanted to hear from me a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer," he said.

However, his lawyer, former Rizal Rep. Emigdio Tanjuatco, advised the governor to continue attending the hearing.

"There is a saying that if you lose your head, you lose the argument. That is why I believe that he has to continue attending the hearing," Tanjuatco said.

Political observers said Singson, in tandem with a group identified with former President Fidel Ramos, has an apparent agenda to undercut the Senate inquiry and, by extension, the impeachment move in the House of Representatives.

By throwing the constitutional process in jeopardy and undermining public confidence in the legislators, the same observers said that anti-Erap forces are conditioning the public to accept the Indonesian style of overthrowing the government.

The immediate goal of these anti-Erap forces, they added, is to give Singson a "graceful exit" from the Senate probe, considering that one inconsistency after another has been uncovered by senators.

"They want Singson to quit now before the public fully realize that they have been had by Singson with his bogus exposé against the President," they said.

A source said the long-term objective of Singson and his group is apparently to undermine public confidence in Congress and upset the impeachment plan to justify the staging of bloody street protests similar to those in Jakarta.

"At present, the majority of Filipinos remain supportive of peaceful and constitutional means to resolve the deepening controversy surrounding the President, and want him, if necessary, to answer the charges through the impeachment mode as provided for in the Constitution," he said.

"But if the anti-Erap forces succeed in undermining this constitutional process in Congress, they hope to leave the public with no recourse but to support the extra-legal option, which is to force President Estrada to step down in the face of bloody rioting on the streets," he said. Movie actresses tried to talk Singson out
Three movie actresses had tried to persuade Singson not to drag the name of President Estrada in the jueteng scandal.

This is according to Annabelle Rama, one of the actresses who visited Singson at his residence in Blue Ridge, Quezon City. The other two were Daisy Romualdez and Amalia Fuentes.

Rama told The STAR that the three of them went to the governor’s residence on Oct. 8 and tried to convince Singson to talk it over with Ang and not to include the name of the President in the exposé.

"While the three of use were at his residence, I urged Singson to go slow on the President. That’s all," Rama said.

While there, she said that she also called up San Juan Mayor Jinggoy Estrada so that the presidential son can talk with the governor.

However, she said that all their efforts proved futile as Singson went on to link Mr. Estrada to the gambling payoff.

Jinggoy said he is ready to face his accuser before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to clear his and the First Family’s name.

He said he is just waiting for his father to give him the go-signal to attend the hearings.

Singson said he will retire from politics and enjoy the yacht he received from his former drinking buddy when the scandal blows over.

"I will retire," he said. "I want to enjoy my Escalera, the yacht that I got from the President."

He also said that he would discourage his children from joining politics.

"I don’t want them to feel and experience what I have had," he said. –With Jose Rodel Clapano, Efren Danao, Marichu Villanueva

Comments (6)

Would you like to comment?

Join Diigo for a free account, or sign in if you are already a member.

Saved by stevenwarran

on Dec 17, 12