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Less than zero

BLURBAL THRUSTS

Louie Logarta

11/09/2008

The Supreme Court (SC) has given lawyers Jesus Santos, Estrella Elamparo and Orlando Polinar a deadline of until next week to answer the petition filed by Alan Paguia which seeks to have them sanctioned for their alleged influence peddling in the Court of Appeals while deliberations on the Meralco-GSIS case were ongoing.

The said order is doubly significant in that it was issued en banc by the high tribunal, meaning that the controversy had stirred up such great interest so much so it was signed by all the honorable justices. Would you believe that this is probably the first time the SC had come out with such an encompassing order in response on an ordinary letter-complaint?

Previous to this, Paguia, a lawyer of President Estrada during the impeachment trial until he was suspended by the SC for contempt, had filed a petition before the court seeking to impose sanctions on Santos, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Government Service Insurance System and at the same time the personal lawyer of First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, and Elamparo and Polinar, both senior GSIS lawyers, in connection with the Court of Appeals corruption scandal that resulted in the sacking of CA Justice Vicente Roxas, the censuring of CA Justices Bienvenido Reyes, Myrna Vidal and Conrado Vasquez and the investigastion of Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) Camilo Sabio by the Office of the Bar Confidant.

PCGG chairman Sabio had disclosed during a public hearing that he had been asked by Santos to call up his brother CA Justice Jose Sabio, who was one of those tasked to hear the Meralco-GSIS case, to intercede in behalf of the GSIS. On the other hand, it was also revealed Elamparo and Polinar had attempted to seek an audience with Roxas in order to give a copy of the GSIS petition.

Paguia complained these overt moves on the part of the three veteran law practitioners were in blatant violation of Canon 13 of the Code of Professional Conduct which governs the actions of lawyers in court cases — that a lawyer shall rely on the merits of his cause and refrain from any impropriety which tends to influence or gives the appearance of influencing the court.

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We’re wondering if Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Chief/Supt. Nic Bartolome knows anything about this law that prohibits government officials (like police generals) from taking part in foreign trips within one year from their retirement date.

Because thanks to our sources in the Senate foreign relations committee — which conducted the other week an investigation into the “euro generals” mess featuring retired PNP Comptroller Eliseo de la Paz, the designated bagman of the 13-member junket delegation sent by Camp Crame to attend the 77th Interpol general assembly in St. Petersburg, Russia who was caught by authorities prior to their departure at Moscow International Airport carrying over euros 105,000 (about $135,000) which was far in excess of the allowable limit of $10,000 per passenger — we know for a fact that such a law exists.

As far as we know, as of this point, there are two members of the junket delegation who have been caught red-handed violating this particular law — De la Paz who officially retired from the service last Oct. 9 when they were all still in Russia and Director Jaime Caringal who retired last week, to be exact Nov. 5. Of course there could be more, but we won’t actually know until it is formally announced they’re stepping down from office, because that kind of information isn’t readily available to us.

The PNP-PIO, which plays host on a daily basis to reporters covering the Crame beat, is understandably mum about this fact because it does not wish to add to the headaches of his boss, PNP Director Gen. Jesus Verzosa who is being asked to take a leave of absence from office in order to avoid suspicions of covering up the criminal actions of some members of the junket delegation.

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We were correct all along when we wrote in an earlier column that General De la Paz was carrying more than the euros 105,000, as reported in all the newspapers, when he was arrested by Russian authorities at Moscow airport for breaking the law on the carrying of foreign currency on international flights.

It turns out he also had on his person an additional euros 45,000 that was supposedly entrusted to him by a rich Chinese friend, identified as a certain Tyron Ng Arejola of Binondo, in order to buy two expensive Swiss watches in Vienna.

So the junket delegation was also supposed to go to Vienna? Tsk tsk tsk. The plot is really thickening.

This is the nth time Camp Crame has attempted to come out with an official line to explain why De la Paz had such an obscenely large amount of cash when he was detained in Moscow together with Deputy Director Gen. Ismael Rafanan, Deputy Director Gen. Emmanuel Carta, Director for Plans Romeo Ricardo, Human Resource and Doctrine Development Director German Doria, Region IX Director Jaime Caringal, Director for Operations Silverio Alarcio, and Supt. Elmer Pelobello, plus Mrs.Cynthia Verzosa (wife of PNP chief Verzosa), Evita Caringal (wife of General Caringal), Anita Carta (wife of General Carta), Marie Fe de la Paz (wife of De la Paz) at Rosa Alarcio (wife of General Alarcio).

When the scandal first broke, the PNP said the money was intended as “contingency funds” of the delegation to St. Petersburg; but when they were told only the President had the right to contingency funds, they corrected this to “cash advance.”

Probably feeling queasy about this, General Verzosa later changed his mind and alleged the funds were intended to buy guns and other intelligence equipment. But he was informed by the Budget department that it would be unlawful for Camp Crame to purchase equipment without the required public bidding.

At the rate these PNP officials are spinning tall tales to get out the jam they are presently in, their credibility in the eyes of the public will be less than zero.