CLAIMING that the PCIJ is harassing him, Jonathan Tiongco has filed cases of perjury and obstruction of justice against PCIJ’s executive director, Sheila Coronel, following her testimony before the Senate committee that probed Proclamation 1017’s effects on the media.

These bring to six the total number of cases that have been filed by Tiongco against the PCIJ.

In separate petitions filed this morning before the Pasay Office of the City Prosecutor, Tiongco said Coronel violated Article 183 of the Revised Penal Code and Presidental Decree 1829 when she appeared before the Senate on March 14.

In that hearing, Coronel told members of the committee on justice and human rights about attempts by the Quezon City police to apply for a warrant to search the premises of the PCIJ. Coronel recounted how three members of the Central Police District, accompanied by Tiongco, tried but failed to obtain such a warrant.

PCIJ’s lawyers say Coronel cannot be sued for perjury, as she did not testify falsely nor was she under oath during the Senate inquiry. The lawyers say Tiongco’s complaint for obstruction of justice is equally baseless.

Tiongco, in his affidavits, said he never applied for a search warrant against the PCIJ. He earlier told inq7.net, “Wala akong part dyan. I just accompanied a friend who was involved.”

In a March 14 affidavit, PCIJ lawyer Sandra Marie Olaso-Coronel said that she was outside the office of Quezon City RTC Judge Alan Balot at about 4 p.m. of March 13 and was surprised to see Tiongco in the judge’s office together with two uniformed policewomen and another who was not in uniform. Journalists, including GMA-7’s Sandra Aguinaldo, were also outside the judge’s office and saw Tiongco and the police there.

When Tiongco emerged from the judge’s office, Aguinaldo said, he told the reporters that the hearing had been cancelled. The clerk of court, meanwhile, told Aguinaldo that the there was no hearing, only an application for a search warrant.

Tiongco insisted in his complaints that he and his family “are being harassed and defamed by the PCIJ so he may not testify in favor of the government.” He referred to the “technical assistance” that he had provided Secretary Mike Defensor “in establishing that the ‘Hello Garci’ wiretaps were tampered.”

“The latest attack against the honor of the complainant at the Senate is undeniably connected to the complainant’s position as a veteran Digital Audio Engineer and Certified Audio Forensic Analyst who is helping the government in determining the authenticity of the infamous “Hello Garci” tapes.”

“Complainant’s experts findings show that the recordings and transcripts of wiretapped conversations being circulated by the PCIJ are not only illegal, but in fact tampered. Clearly, dissemination of unverified and illegal wiretaps is not within the realm of Responsible Journalism and/or Freedom of the Press. A crime is a crime and the PCIJ is not above the law.”

In earlier statements, the PCIJ has said that it cannot be sued for violating the anti-wiretapping law because the “Hello, Garci” recording that is posted on this blog has been played in many other public fora, including a congressional hearing. Portions of the recording have also been aired by TV and radio stations. Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye himself has played a different version (also posted on this blog) of the allegedly wiretapped recording; and tens of thousands of Filipinos have also used parts of the recording in ring tones on their mobile phones.

In addition, the wiretapping law may be invoked only after those in the recording admit their conversations have been tapped and it is their voices that have been recorded.

PCIJ has not officially received the complaint-affidavits.

Tiongco gave copies of his affidavits to reporters of GMA-7 and Inquirer who were present at the Pasay prosecutor’s office when he filed his petitions.

24 Responses to Tiongco files perjury, obstruction
of justice cases vs. PCIJ

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LCsiao

March 20th, 2006 at 6:30 pm

My, oh, my! Jonathan Tiongco is one crazy son of a b*tch!

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jester-in-exile

March 20th, 2006 at 8:01 pm

define irony.

answer: someone filing cases of perjury and obstruction of justice using evidence that someone had previously suppressed and in doing so obstructed justice and committed perjury.

considering the circumstances, it’s either a personal, petty vendetta or he’s taking advantage of the atmosphere of repression that the administration is creating. maybe both.

on another note:

mr. tiongco describes himself as a “veteran Digital Audio Engineer and Certified Audio Forensic Analyst.” i’d certainly want to take a close look at his qualifications. what was the certifying body that gave him that title?

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LCsiao

March 20th, 2006 at 8:05 pm

Mike Defensor’s Big Lying Metallic Mouth

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cultourtra

March 20th, 2006 at 9:26 pm

jester-in-exile, hindi kaya sa Recto ‘yung certifying body?

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naykika

March 20th, 2006 at 10:43 pm

The way I understand the Justice System, only the Public Prosecutors could file perjury and obstruction cases as the are classified under criminal code cases. And when did Mr. Tiongco Become a PROSECUTOR?? Would Pcij and Ms Coronel file civil case of Harassment and false accusations against Mr. Tiongco instead? I think that would merit some thoughts and more chances of success. How’s that Jonathan? Greetings from Ca..

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Chabeli

March 20th, 2006 at 11:44 pm

Isn’t Jonathan Tiongco a synonym of WACKO?

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eriko

March 21st, 2006 at 3:32 am

i got this info somewhere, please read, it’s interesting:

PRESS RELEASE
22 March 2006

BrigadaElektronica electronic disturbance group strikes again

MANILA– The current ban of public assemblies and free speech in the streets has given birth to online protest action known as “electronic sit-in.”

BrigadaElektronica electronic disturbance group first introduced electronic sit-in last year as an online version of support to the striking workers of Gelmart in Metro Manila who then occupied the factory, held a picket line and obstructed the capitalist boss’s activity in laying-off the workers. The group held a similar action by occupying (sit-in) the official Gelmart website; of course, the action successfully declared “no business as usual, workers on strike!” (the Gelmart website literally stopped as thousands of online participants joined the sit-in)

This time, the electronic disturbance group is once again announcing their second electronic sit-in campaign, targeting the Malakanyang website, PNP and Office of the President. The action officially starts on March 23, 2006, it will last until the first of April.

“Technology has boasted that it enables people in getting closer to each other, so we are going to show that if we can’t get closer to Malakanyang and protest, we will closely express ourselves inside Malakanyang palace itself by just one click,” says one of the group’s technician who want to keep anonymity.

The group also said that this electronic sit-in demands the unconditional release of eleven young backpackers including a fifteen-year-old girl who were illegally arrested, tortured and wrongfully accused as NPA’s by Philippine authorities, while the innocent-care-free kids were only just hitchhiking on their way to the beautiful Sagada Mountains. “If the responsible authorities will not take heed for the call of these kids’ parents who were very much dishearten for taking away their sons and daughters the freedom to travel; government websites will virtually be deleted. ” says one of the technicians.

“The Benguet Police and Military must also give apologies to the victims of their inhuman activities,” demands the group.

Website:
http://www.geocities.com/sagadatravel11

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dimasalang

March 21st, 2006 at 8:58 am

This electronic sit-in is cool!

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dimasalang

March 21st, 2006 at 9:41 am

Jonathan Tionggo? Hindi ba yan yung missing link. The link between primates and early man?

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jester-in-exile

March 21st, 2006 at 10:14 am

people,

let’s not post anything that could be interpreted as “libel” by whomever. let their actions speak for themselves. still, my question stands.

see, i’m not aware of any certifying body that can issue the title “Certified Audio Forensic Analyst”, emphasis on “certified”, implying that there are special studies and exams to earn certification and or licensing from a body empowered to give such a license, and “forensic”, implying that such a person can give credible testimony in a court of law (same as a forensic pathologist, i suppose; would that not mean the correct and proper naming convention would be “Forensic Audio Analyst”?).

if a doctor has to be accredited as a forensic pathologist before he can call himself that and appear as an expert witness in court, i’d like to know how tiongco acquired his “certification” as an “audio analyst” enough to be competent to provide “forensic” analysis.

“Digital Audio Engineer” is a fancy term for a licensed ECE specializing in digital audio (assuming, of course, tiongco is a licensed ECE).

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penpenpen88

March 21st, 2006 at 10:15 am

if ever the government is intent of taking this guys allegations seriously then i smell something a’brewin.

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lbrto

March 21st, 2006 at 10:46 am

Pano ba ginagawa ang electronic sit-in???

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lokalokang matino

March 21st, 2006 at 10:58 am

Jonathan Tiongco offered his services to Senator Rodolfo Biazon, but the good senator did’nt mind him. Mike Defensor welcomed him, I thought mike is intelligent.

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eriko

March 21st, 2006 at 12:49 pm

UPDATES! UPDATES! electronic sit-in going on. join na daw kayo!
—-
http://www.geocities.com/sagadatravel11

Office of the President Website is down!

As of 12:15p.m. (Manila Time) today (22March), the Office of the President website (www.op.gov.ph) virtually collapsed since early this morning, it cannot be accessed.

The group calling themselves BrigadaElektronica- an online activist mercenary who told that, “No Public Service As Usual!” on their temporary website, has recently vowed to launch an online protest action, demanding the unconditional release of eleven young backpackers, held captive by Philippine authorities.

The online protest action is known as Electronic Sit-in, it enables everyone to participate by just one click. The simultaneous participation by a large number of people virtually shuts down a target website using the program/script that the group had set-up.

“Today (22March) is only a dry run, but it is overwhelming to know that many had already joined us that made the temporary shutdown of op.gov.ph website possible, we hope a bigger participation for the official start of our campaign tomorrow (23March),” said the group.

The group vows to occupy the following servers:

1.Office of the President Website (March 22)

2.Philippine National Police Website (March 23)

3.Armed Forces of the Philippines Website (March 28)

4.Malacanang Palace (April 1)

The electronic disturbance group stated, “If we are not allowed to take the streets for public assembly and freedom of speech, let’s take the cyberspace instead, from here the authorities cannot contain us! We’ll shut em down, one by one!”

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ocayvalle

March 21st, 2006 at 1:02 pm

there goes again the evils of GMA..this case being filed in court against majority of pilipino people who are against the fake,cheating,lying and stealing GMA is the handy work of the FIRM..the group of FG,Villaraza,Angcaoco,Cruz.the ofice of the DOJ..they are the one masterminding all this brohaha in court..when this evil will end!!
“ang tagal naman..bat kaya an diyan pa sila?” a friend of mine ask me!
I said “let us all pray for the immediate ouster of GMA and his evil gangster in the goverment” sana po God matapus na lahat eto at ma wala na si gng Glu Arroyo at matapos na ang masamang panaginip ng mga pilipino!!! Amen

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Para sa Kanto Mama

March 21st, 2006 at 1:05 pm

Baka na-certify ni Mike Defensor si Tiongco. Pareho lang naman silang bolador at may mutual admiration sila sa isa’t-isa. Feel nila milyon milyon ang naniniwala sa kanilang mga pakulo.

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penpenpen88

March 21st, 2006 at 1:25 pm

pusahan si mike me intentions of becoming president.. so beware kayo.. (god help us na tlga if that came to pass)

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Coffee With Amee »

March 21st, 2006 at 2:09 pm

[…] Jonathan Tiongco, of “Hello Garci” fame, is still at it, filing cases against PCIJ that is: CLAIMING that the PCIJ is harassing him, Jonathan Tiongco has filed cases of perjury and obstruction of justice against PCIJ’s executive director, Sheila Coronel, following her testimony before the Senate committee that probed Proclamation 1017’s effects on the media. […]

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eriko

March 21st, 2006 at 2:40 pm

ERRATUM!

to the editors:

PLEASE CORRECT THE DATES!
NOT 22MARCH BUT 21MARCH.
sorry for the error

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schumey

March 21st, 2006 at 2:54 pm

Let Tiongco have his day in court. Finally we will know the truth behind the Garci Tapes as these will be submitted as evidence in court. The administration’s harassment will be its own undoing. So Mrs. President, I guess your day of reckoning is dawning, its high-time you cut and cut cleanly.

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jr_lad

March 21st, 2006 at 3:49 pm

tanong ko lang. sa mga activities ni tiongco ngayon. ano ba ang source of income neto? being a self proclaimed “Digital Audio Engineer and Certified Audio Forensic Analyst “, is he connnected with a big corporation? or talagang rich lang siya kaya naaafford niya etong mga pinaggagawa niya ngayon. left and right, sampa ng kaso dito sampa ng kaso doon. or meron siyang malaking “financier” sa mga activities niya? tanong ko lang at baka may alam ang pcij.

dapat magaya ang justice system natin sa UK. kung sino matalo sa kaso yun magbabayad ng lahat ng legal expences para hindi basta-basta sampa na lang ng sampa ng kaso ang sinuman. marami tuloy pending na mga court cases dahil hindi naaaksiyonan ng korte..

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jester-in-exile

March 21st, 2006 at 8:12 pm

jr_lad,

“ano ba ang source of income neto?”

saka na muna yan, i-establish niya muna yung credibility niya (or lack of it thereof) as a digital audio expert. after that, saka lalabas yun, kung stooge siya for somebody or he’s making all those foolish actions out of his own initiative. siyempre, someone had had to commission him to do the “analysis”.

besides, invasion of privacy yung ganoong question, unless previously published yata (and i think it’s in a past entry here; panahon ng PCIJ TRO by the same fellow).

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ifeelakki

March 22nd, 2006 at 1:58 pm

Pwede bang malaman kung magkapatid o magpinsan ang mga magulang ni chonggo?

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INSIDE PCIJ: Stories behind our stories » Tiongco strikes again

March 27th, 2006 at 6:15 pm

[…] In his latest complaint-affidavit, Tiongco said he never applied for a search warrant, even if he and three policewomen were seen by journalists and the PCIJ lawyer at the office of RTC Judge Alan Balot on March 13 . He used the same arguments he previously made in separate cases of perjury and obstruction of justice he filed against Coronel last week. In those complaints, Tiongco said the PCIJ was harassing him and his family so that he “may not testify in favor of the government.” […]

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