WITH no less than the justice secretary confirming that five of its members are in his watchlist for possible “inciting to sedition” charges and the earlier failed attempt by the Quezon City police to obtain a warrant to search its office, the PCIJ finds itself cited twice in the op-ed pages of today’s issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer — first, in the paper’s editorial titled “Subversion“, and second, in Ceres Doyo’s opinion column “PCIJ under siege.”

We invite everyone to read them to provide further background and context to the issue that a few have dismissed as mere phantoms, even chastising us for “overreacting.”

Just a factual correction to the editorial. PCIJ lawyer Sandra Marie Olaso Coronel and Sheila Coronel, PCIJ executive director, are not siblings. Sandy only happened to marry a Coronel, who is Sheila’s distant cousin.

18 Responses to Inquirer on threats against the PCIJ

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scud_1975

March 16th, 2006 at 2:51 pm

Kuryente??!! .. di kaya ang media mismo ang nabiktima ng mga maling bali-balita? Or a simple case of paranoia? or too much trust sa kanilang “anonymous-credible source”.

ika nga ni Coritha..”tama na ang pag aalinlangan, ang takot ay nasa isip lamang”

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penpenpen88

March 16th, 2006 at 3:21 pm

Kuryente??!! .. di kaya ang media mismo ang nabiktima ng mga maling bali-balita? Or a simple case of paranoia?

— toink e si gonzalez na nga mismo ngsabi na asa wathlist nga mga tao ng PCIJ eh nu pa bang proof kilangan nyo??? heloooo??? essep esseeeepp naman… and me witness naman na this (forgot his name coz hes irrelevnt naman) was at the courts seeking for a search warrant eh… nu pa bng proof?? ..

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scud_1975

March 16th, 2006 at 3:31 pm

toink! may witness ka na you forgot his name? hahaha..dapat nag eesep eeseep ka muna bago ka nagcomment. tsaka please lang, basahin mo muna editorial ng inquirer..my comment is about the “invisible search warrant” and “soon to happen raid” at hindi ang listahan ng mga pautang ng DOJ.

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penpenpen88

March 16th, 2006 at 3:47 pm

the witness was the lawyer from pcij certain ms coronel also… the guy who was trying to procure that search warrant was interviewed by gma seven.. same guy na lackey ni mike defensor yung sound engineer yun ung di ko maalala yung name ksi ng irrelevant sya para sa akin..=)
bout yung list ni justice… its a list of those who were to be charged with sedition… which is the topic of this article di ba??? hahaha esep esep back at tou dude…

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johnmarzan

March 16th, 2006 at 4:47 pm

Sabi ni Mike Defensor:

He said that the only relationship he had with Tiongco was that press conference last year. “I want this clear, we’re not together politically,” he said. “He is more aligned with the opposition.

More aligned with the opposition? That’s like saying Oliver Lozano is “more aligned” with the opposition too.

He even filed cases against (former police chief Hermogenes) Ebdane and (former Cabinet secretary and chief of staff Angelo) Reyes.”

But this nutcase has also filed charges against the opposition and other critics of arroyo in the media.

THE “audio expert” who Environment Secretary Michael Defensor said had found that the “Hello Garci” tapes were spliced yesterday filed charges of conspiracy to commit sedition, insurrection and obstruction of justice against two senators, two congressmen, a former Cabinet secretary and two jueteng witnesses before the justice department.

The DOJ did not accept the complaint, saying it would refer Jonathan Tiongco’s complaint to the Manila Prosecutor’s Office.

In his five-page affidavit, Tiongco accused Senators Panfilo Lacson and Jinggoy Estrada, House minority leader Francis Escudero, Rep. Jesus Crispin Remulla, former Agrarian Reform Secretary Horacio “Boy” Morales, and jueteng witnesses Sandra Cam and Boy Mayor of conspiring to bring down the Arroyo adminsitration.

He’s also filed a libel case against Teresita Ang See for this.

And for anti-crime advocate Tessie Ang-See, Tiongco’s credibility is suspect. Ang-See told PCIJ that in March 2004, Tiongco approached her to ask for her support in the cases against Reyes, who was then anti-kidnapping czar. Reyes was the subject of criminal and administrative cases filed in the Ombudsman for, among others, illegal detention, multiple murder, kidnapping, and grave coercion. These charges stemmed from the kidnappings in late 2003 of two Chinese-Filipinos: two-year-old Gian Jethro Chua and corporate executive Betty Chua Sy.

To convince her, Ang-See said, Tiongco showed a photograph of Gian Jethro’s kidnapper who he claimed was a close-in bodyguard of Reyes. He also gave her a video of the crime scene where a bank robber was killed, alleging that it was a rubout and that Reyes had a hand in it. The purpose, Ang See said, was to show Reyes’s alleged involvement in kidnapping and robbery cases.

But when Ang-See had these independently examined, she was told that these were altered. Ang-See said no to Tiongco’s request for her to support the cases against Reyes.

After she refused, Ang-See said, Tiongco began sending her threats through SMS. This was also the time, according to Ang-See, when she was included as one of the respondents in the supplemental case filed against Reyes regarding the case of kidnap victim Sy. (That case has since been dismissed.)

…and against ABS-CBN too for esposing him as the one who bailed out Terror suspect dawud santos.

And against PCIJ for “inciting to sedition” raw. DOJ Sec. Gonzalez agrees with gov’t stooge Tiongco.

Tiongco even accused the opposition of, get this, poisoning FPJ and other crazy stuff.

TALES FROM JONATHAN TIONGCO: FPJ WAS POISONED

MANILA, August 18, 2005 (STAR) By Jose Rodel Clapano – He’s no Jonathan Swift, but self-declared audio expert Jonathan Tiongco has tales of his own to tell.

Among them: Fernando Poe Jr. did not die of a stroke but was poisoned.

Tiongco also alleged yesterday that former senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan ran away with the P40-million budget for Poe’s “Bantay Balota” during the late actor’s presidential campaign last year.

According to Tiongco’s account of Poe’s death last December, the actor was poisoned during his last drinking spree with other opposition members the night before he was rushed to the emergency room of St. Luke’s Medical Centera in Quezon City.

Doctors at St. Luke’s said that Poe suffered a severe stroke, which led to his death early in the morning of Dec. 14, days after he was rushed to the hospital. The movie icon’s death certificate says as much, but Tiongco has his doubts.

“Isusunod ko na ‘yan (That will follow),” Tiongco said of his revelation, though he did not elaborate.

Tiongco made the allegations against Honasan as he prepared to file conspiracy to commit sedition, insurrection and obstruction of justice charges against opposition Senators Panfilo Lacson, Jinggoy Estrada, House Minority Leader Francis Escudero, former agrarian reform secretary and Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) president Horacio Morales, Cavite Rep. Crispin Remulla, self-confessed jueteng bagwoman Sandra Cam; self-confessed jueteng operator Boy Mayor and several unidentified persons.

However, Assistant Chief State Prosecutor Richard Fadullon did not accept Tiongco’s complaint because it was not endorsed by either the PNP, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) or other law enforcement agencies.

Fadullon advised Tiongco to follow the proper procedure and file his complaint with the local prosecution office.

Betrayal

In his five-page complaint affidavit, Tiongco said Morales met him on June 21, 2004 at the Podium in Ortigas shortly after a certain Rodolfo Galang was presented a the Club Filipino to expose alleged poll fraud in Mindanao.

“Morales lamented that Greg or Gringo ran away with the P40 million intended for the Bantay Balota and that he suspected that the latter was betraying (Poe) and secretly coordinating with his mistah, Lacson,” Tiongco said.

Tiongco earlier corroborated the claim made by Environment Secretary Michael Defensor that the alleged “Hello, Garci” tape containing a wiretapped conversation between President Arroyo and a man believed to be former Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Virgilio Garcillano was spliced to make it seem they were planning to rig the May 10, 2004 elections.

He said in his complaint that Morales had asked him to form a small group purportedly to sabotage the President’s proclamation in Cebu: “Morales also asked me, if worse comes to worst, if I can form a small group to sabotage the Cebu proclamation by tossing a grenade at the crowd. The plan did not materialize after (Morales) was temporarily fired by former President Estrada due to the failure of the FPJ operations.”

‘Political Operator’

Tiongco said that he was hired by the opposition as a political operator and that he was receiving direct orders from Morales and Sen. Estrada.

He said that he was once an active supporter of the opposition, specifically the faction identified with former President Joseph Estrada and Lacson: “My associations with former President Estrada started when I was invited by John Robert Porter y Rendeza aka John Rendez, who was a long time friend since my teens to help them during the 1998 presidential campaign in my capacity as sound engineer, mixing minus ones for Ms. Nora Aunor. My friend was living with the Superstar during the time.”

Tiongco said he eventually established a close relationship with prominent people within the Estrada camp in 2000 and maintained these relationships until the former president was ousted shortly after Aunor a joined the EDSA II uprising.

He also said he actively participated in the quashed EDSA III uprising in 2001: “From Polk street, I supervised the audio mixing of the first audio van situated at the EDSA shrine and I subsequently met Ronald Lumbao and other People’s Movement Against Poverty (PMAP) leaders there.”

Tiongco said the new administration was perceived to be very hostile to Lacson in 2002.

“During that time (2002), I was very close with now Congressman Jesus Crispin ‘Boying’ Remulla, whom I admired for his loyalty to the former president,” Tiongco said. “I frequently visited him at the office of Sen. Loi Ejercito where he was chief of staff. Following (Remulla’s) line, I would later be involved in several covert operations to help the embattled (Lacson), specifically with regards to his pending murder cases.”

He added that “Generals Victor Corpus, Eduardo Matillano and Reynaldo Berroya were very much against (Lacson) and (the opposition) needed a covert operative to spy on this group.” However, he also said he chose to “reserve certain information about the operations until the proper time comes.”

Ingratitude

Tiongco said that last week, after he aided Defensor in exposing anomalies found on the “Hello, Garci” tape, Lacson “ungratefully” made several libelous statements against him.

“This includes besmirching my family’s reputation by calling me may sayad or retarded. The libelous statements were published in several newspapers and broadcast on television and radio,” he said. “My 84-year-old father… fell and suffered a mild stroke. My two sisters and I had to fly home to Iloilo City on Sunday to see my father.”

Tiongco said he decided to break his silence and divulge what he knows about the ongoing, multi-faceted operations to unlawfully oust Mrs. Arroyo before the end of the year.

Covert Operatives

Sometime in January 2004, Tiongco said, he received a call from Remulla at his office: “Remulla told me that the PMP/Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) urgently needed covert operatives to help the (Poe) and Ping campaigns. I accepted the dangerous mission so Boying gave me a handwritten endorsement letter addressed to Morales.”

Tiongco was fuming as he denied Remulla’s claim that he is insane, adding that a few days after Remulla called him, he had a breakfast meeting with Morales and former senator Francisco Tatad at the McDonald’s restaurant in Eastwood, Libis, Quezon City.

“We discussed several potential issues, which could be used to negatively project the government, (particularly the) National Anti-Kidnapping Task Force (NAKTF),” Tiongco said. “Rubouts were rampant during the time and we later agreed to engage in a human rights program intended to demoralize the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) top brass by exposing anomalies on their anti-crime operations.”

Tiongco said Interior Secretary Angelo Reyes was then one of the principal targets of the opposition’s operations, which resulted in the filing of several murder cases before the Office of the Ombudsman following the death of several alleged suspects. The cases are still pending before the Ombudsman.

“The information and cases filed against the administration’s PNP and AFP top brass were used by several KNP candidates during the campaign sorties. Now (Sen. Estrada) even went as far as promising the victims things like legal and financial support in order for them to come out and file cases,” he said.

According to Tiongco, “at first, the attention given was fine until they were subsequently abandoned. From the way I see it, the situation with the jueteng inquiry and its witnesses now is quite familiar.”

Wiretapping

He said he was also informed about the KNP special operations group led by Honasan, and the group’s secret rental and purchase of a GSM interceptor from a company called Altigen.

Tiongco added that he was briefed by Morales on safety procedures in using his cellular phone. He said the results of opposition’s eavesdropping operations against the administration were comprehensively reported in newspapers all throughout May and June 2004: “My recollection on the information intercepted was similar, but not as blatant (as) the ones contained on the ‘Hello, Garci’ tapes.”

He said Morales was subsequently demoted and his positions as lead operator was given to Salvador Enriquez.

Tiongco said he also met Sen. Estrada sometime in August 2004 at the Senate lounge, where they discussed the cases filed against Reyes: “(Sen. Estrada) wanted me to convince the NAKTAF victims to oppose Reyes’ confirmation (by) the Commission on Appointments. I would then be seeing (Sen. Estrada) on a regular basis, sometimes at his office in the Pacific Star Building. Sometime in September 2004, the initiation of the new batch of complainants against Secretary Reyes materialized.”

“Sometime in late September 2004, (Lacson) sent one of his trusted men to my home to get copies of all the Reyes documents,” he said. “The hidden video cameras captured the incident. The colonel who was sent by (Lacson) is the same person who took custody over Udong Mahusay.” Tiongco added that Lacson “also sent word that he wanted me to get damaging information against Defense Secretary (Avelino) Cruz and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez to be used against them at the Commission on Appointments.”

Of course, pinagtawanan lang siya ng opposition then: (aug. 15, 2005)

Tape expert ni Mike, extortionist — Jinggoy

(Rey Marfil)

————————-

Lalo pang natanggalan ng maskara ang iprinisintang tape expert ni Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Mike Defensor na nagsasabing peke at dinoktor ang “Hello Garci” tape matapos ibisto ni Sen. Jinggoy Estrada ang umano’y pagkatao nito.

Matapos pagtawanan ng ilang miyembro ng Upper House ang tape expert ni Defensor, hindi napigilan ni Estrada na ibisto ang pagkatao ni Jonathan Tiongco bilang mangongotong o extortionist patunay ang makailang beses umano na paglapit sa kanyang opisina para manghingi ng malaking pera.

Sa rekoleksyon ni Estrada, humigit-kumulang 10 beses dumalaw sa kanyang opisina si Tiongco at inaalok ang serbisyo para ibagsak ang kredibilidad ni Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Angelo Reyes.

Unang inalok ni Tiongco ang sarili sa kanyang opisina, ayon kay Estrada nang maisalang sa kumpirmasyon ng Commission on Appointments (CA) ang nominasyon ni Reyes kung saan miyembro ang inang si Sen. Luisa “Dra. Loi” Ejercito Estrada.

“Kung anu-anong bintang ang ipinupukol niya kay Reyes. Hindi ko pinatulan kasi nakakapagduda iyong kanyang mga impormasyon. Saka nanghihingi ng pera,” ani Estrada sa panayam ng TONITE.

Maging ang kanyang chief of staff (COS) na si dating Nueva Ecija Congressman Simeon Garcia, ayon kay Estrada nilapitan ni Tiongco para hingan ng P200,000, kapalit ang pagbibigay ng impormasyon laban kay Reyes.

Ang matinding rebelasyon ni Estrada ay makailang-beses umano itong tinatawagan sa cellular phone at i-text ni Tiongco tungkol sa panghihingi ng pera hanggang tuluyang nagalit nang balewalain ang mga request nito.

Nang walang pumapansin kay Tiongco, nagsimula na aniyang guluhin ng tape expert ni Defensor ang kanyang opisina, katulad ang pagpapadala ng masasamang mensahe at pananakot.

Ilan lamang sa pananakot ng ipinadalang mensahe ni Tiongco, ayon kay Estrada ang alegasyong haharangin sa Sandiganbayan ang hinihingi nitong passes upang makalabas ng Pilipinas, maging ang bantang ipababawi ang kalayaang tinatamasa at ipababalik sa kulungan kasama ang amang si dating Pangulong Joseph Estrada.

Sa pagkakaalam ni Estrada, humigit-kumulang 30 beses siyang pinadalhan ng text messages ni Tiongco at maging ang kanyang chief of staff na si Garcia subalit ito’y kanilang binabalewala at kaagad binubura dahil nalalaman nitong merong sayad ang nabanggit.

Hindi pa nakuntento si Tiongco, nagawa pang maghamon ng suntukan at barilan sa text, ayon kay Estrada kung saan aniya’y nakakapagpanting ng tenga dahil paulit-ulit at walang pinipiling oras ang pang-iistorbo nito.

Sa kabilang banda, ipinagpasalamat ni Estrada ang pagkakakuha kay Tiongco bilang tape expert dahil lalo pang naliwanagan ang kaisipan ng publiko sa “Hello Garci” tape matapos kumuha ng dispalinghadong audio expert ang palasyo.

Walang lihim na hindi nabubunyag, ayon kay Estrada kung kaya’t kahit ano pang panloloko ang gawin ng mga kampo ni Arroyo sa “Hello Garci” tape, iisa aniya ang tugtog at tono para sa katotohanan.

“Ibig sabihin lang sa nangyayari ngayon, kahit anong panloloko ang gawin nila lalabas pa rin ang katotohanan. Iyon nga lamang, talagang niloloko nila ang taong bayan para manatili si Mrs. Arroyo sa puwesto,” ani Estrada. (Rey Marfil)

The fact that a blogger like Sassy Lawyer would stake her credibility to defend a Jonathan Tiongco shows her lack of judgment, IMO.

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jr_lad

March 16th, 2006 at 9:03 pm

Inmcredible! halos dinawit na lahat ng kalaban ni glue-ria. MATINDI TALAGA!…. ANG SAYAD!

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kuleet ato

March 16th, 2006 at 9:12 pm

haayyy…Pipol!!!! Impossible~!!! Before we knew it wala ng opposition!!!!

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MitaMS

March 16th, 2006 at 11:27 pm

may charges na bang binaba from the DOJ? Meron na bang na house arrest na critic ng gobyerno pareho sa Valenzuela? Valenzuela – yun ang diktatorship. Pasalamat tayo hindi ganun sa Pilipinas…eto at sige pa din pagsusulat ninyo at namin dito. Pasalamat tayo at dada ng dada tong si Gonzales at binubuking mga plano nya sa buong madla…

Ang news yung announcement ng opposition sa Kongreso na magpapaka matino na sila at itutuloy ang impeachment. Yun ang news…

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jr_lad

March 17th, 2006 at 12:33 am

saan ba yung valenzuela? sorry ha di ko makita sa mapa. malapit ba sa bulacan yun?

”tama na ang pag aalinlangan, ang takot ay nasa isip lamang”

subukan mo kayang masama sa listahan ng mga kakasuhan ng sedition. tingnan ko lang kung sasabihin mo pang nasa isip lamang.

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MitaMS

March 17th, 2006 at 12:50 am

venezuela ata..ay mali! hehehe…nasa bulacan nga ang utak ko…

bakit ako matatakot kung nasama ako sa listahan kung wala naman akong ginawa? be brave ika nga…”mulling” naman sabi ng DOJ, kung wala kang ginawa, wala silang masisilip.

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jr_lad

March 17th, 2006 at 1:15 am

well, hindi mo pa ata alam nangyari sa mga party-list groups or kay ka abel. or lately yung si riza hontiveros ng gabriela. pare-pareho lang sigaw ng mga yun sa ibang mga nasa oposisyon. ah, oo nga pala. mga pulahan pala ang mga yun. guilty na nga pala ang mga yun.

sino ba ang nagdedefine ng meaning ng sedition? kung merong hooded man or makapili na basta na lang lalabas, magtuturo at isama ka? credible witness sabi ni mike defense. masabi mo pa kaya wala naman akong ginagawang masama. basta nagsisisigaw lang ako. “ibagsak ang pekeng rehimeng arroyo”.

sa venezuela naman, are you referring to president hugo chavez? well, maybe you try to check the story behind the conflict there. how the elite backed-up by the US tried and continue to overthrow him (actually he was briefly overthrewn but returned by the military) just because he is left leaning ang a friend of castro.

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MitaMS

March 17th, 2006 at 1:37 am

jr. ano naman nangyari sa lahat ng in-example mo? wala naman nangyayari…puro zaruela sabay comedy lang. nag hi-high blood na lahat.
saka yung mga nagtatago sa batasan? eh kungdi naman duwag …kala ko magigiting na mga leftist revolutionaries sila…nagtago naman sa palda ni JDV! sus, JDV of all people, eptiome ng trapo. nakakahiya silang mga rebolusyonaryo…
si riza hontiveros nagsampa na ng kaso laban so pulis. hintayin natin ang resulta.
whatever the root of hugo chavez’ rise to power…the fact is his country is putting his critics on house arrest. malayo pa tayo dun, sana lang makita natin yon…so cool lang, easy lang…yung iba sa atin sobra nang emotional na tumatawag na ng rebolusyon. gusto mo ba yon? ako ayoko.
hindi pa tayo hopeless …so hinay hinay lang. mas maganda ang pag-dedesisyon kung cool lang.

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MitaMS

March 17th, 2006 at 1:50 am

jr. basahin mo tong sinabi ni enrile. never ko syang binoto, in-idolize o sinuporta pero sa tingin ko, may mabuti din pinuntahan ang marami nang taon na dumaan sa buhay nya:

“Enrile said the country would be better off if “heads will be cooled, emotions controlled, and petulance be allowed to subside.”

Enrile and Honasan were together in the 1986 People Power uprising against the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, but the senator now says the country suffered a setback then.

“I made a promise not to participate [in efforts] to unseat the government through the use of force. It’s dangerous. I was jailed twice. If you unleash that force, you’ll never know where it will bring us.”

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Rizalist

March 17th, 2006 at 6:25 am

MitaMS,
Interesting rehabilitation of Minister Enrile. Care to comment on the pertinence of “San Jose Timber,” Mike Defensor, and “Lucio Co”? Not to put too fine a point on it, but I think some people just love to see how their old foes have turned to the Dark Side of the Force at last. That is the enigmatic meaning of JPE’s self-satisfied visage grinning — to watch ex-Leftists like GMA and Raul Gonzalez finally see the sense in a lil fascism to cow the sheep and bell the troublemakers like PCIJ.

But they won’t get the much-vaunted Chilling Effect. Quite the opposite. They may find the Canary in the Mine Shaft is actually a VELOCIRAPTOR with buddies.. Haha.

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luzviminda

March 17th, 2006 at 7:49 am

For putting the members & journalists of PCIJ in the watchlist and possible filing of charges, because of the ‘Hello Garci’ Tape, that means the administration of GMA is admitting to the authenticity of the tape. Making the tape authentic means GMA ADMITS TO CHEATING AND STEALING THE 2004 ELECTION !!!

Pag WALA KA SA KATOTOHANAN, ALL YOUR MOVES ARE… CHECKMATE!!!

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penpenpen88

March 17th, 2006 at 1:32 pm

— di na tlaga gagawin ni enrile yan ksi hes got alot more to loose now than then.. and i think he’s slowly shifting to gloria side na peeps.. or.. being the sly politician that he is.. he’s playing both sides.. take your pick..sayng naman yung concession nya sa san jose timber pag kinontra nya si ate glue di ba? l nang prinsipyo ang mga ganyang tao..a stereotype trapo.. mga interest lang nila ang kanilang iniisip…

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MitaMS

March 17th, 2006 at 11:35 pm

Rizalist,
Ask Enrile…I don’t know the guy….sounds more like you do.
How many times did you watch Jurassic Park??

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schumey

March 18th, 2006 at 4:01 am

Its so obvious what JPE’s after. San Jose Timber’s concession includes a 123,000 hectare land wherein 98,000 – 103,000 of which is a forest and nature reserve. We all know that nobody can touch not even a blade of grass in a protected reserve. How on earth was SJT given this concession? Kaya kahit ano gagawin niyan para kay GMA. Balita ko kasi medyo tagilid na mga negosyo niyan.

Paki tanong lang si Mike Defensor, siya ang DENR secretary nung ma-approve yan. ‘Di ba Rizalist?

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