A warrant has been served to Uncle Jun, and he has insisted he will not post bail whatsoever. We met Saturday the week before (April 18), before all the media hoopla, with him already telling us that the upcoming week will see the media being all over the said warrant. What for? Perjury, one of oh, about 14 cases filed against him and his siblings. This one in particular was filed by Mike Defensor (that's "Tol" Mike Defensor to you). I'm not sure about the legal loopholes he was trying to figure out that night, but I heard the MTC and the RTC had something to do with it. It was a blur, his brothers and him were talking in Bicol too fast so I'm not sure what he wanted, but from how I understood it, he wanted to know if his case, supposedly filed at the RTC and was already dismissed, and the paperworks are alread with the MTC, because if not, then they can't arrest him just yet. What I said, I'm not really sure of, maybe my law school friends can help me out. Point is, he wants to know how much time he has until he is taken ala-Etong family by the police.
One thing he made clear that night though, he said he will not post bail for whatever reason. He was willing to be detained in jail for a crime he knows he did not commit.
Last week, we were kinda blindsided at Mayor Fred Lim's move. We had no idea it was coming. We only got to know about it when someone from Inquirer called my dad if it was true that Mayor Lim was taking Uncle Jun under his custody. Next day, it was in the papers.
My sister visited home from Singapore to attend her best friend's wedding. We tried to visit people she had to see, and Uncle Jun was one of them. We got a chance to see him last Sunday night, with him coming from a press conference of some sort with the sisters, and the Manny Villar invitation to his slate fresh on the press. We got a candid description of what happened with the Mayor Lim thing from Sister Mary John.
Apparently, Mayor Lim wanted to talk to Uncle Jun after the news came out that a warrant has been served. So Uncle Jun and the sisters went to the Manila mayor's office. It was full of people, so they took sidestreets to get to the mayor's office. When they got there, there were still a lot of people, for reasons they too didn't know. When they went down, a marching band played, and the people there were cheering on. Then Mayor Lim came to greet them. He said that when he heard that Uncle Jun was going to be arrested, he decided to post a bail of recognizance (or however the heck it's supposed to be spelled). It was the first time they all learned about it, and in the simplest possible explanation, it was explained to us that it meant the Mayor taking custody of the "criminal". It was a move, the sisters said, Mayor Lim made to somehow protect Uncle Jun, because if he gets thrown in the Manila City Jail, the mayor has no power there, as it is headed by DILG, if I'm not mistaken. We all know that it's not too farfetched to think that some guy will be paid what, 500 pesos to stab Uncle Jun in that place. So this recognizance bail is a last ditch effort to save Uncle Jun's ass (probably as much literally as figurativey, if the prison stories are true) from being thrown to the uncertainty of prison life.
So they went on to file that motion to the court. The marching band, sister said, was again, awkwardly there again as they went to the entrance of the court. Inside, the judge was some kind of bitch who didn't even respect the mayor of the city. The sisters said they were amazed by Mayor Lim's composure as the judge was seemingly mocking him for "not wearing barong Tagalog". I mean, what the hell, you have to wear a barong for you to be heard in court? Is a barong a necessity for respect? Sure, the mayor can "afford" a barong, but can't the freakin judge give consideration to the mayor who has other appointments than this one, unlike her who just has to wear that black thing over whatever the hell she's wearing and go home after? Anyway, to cut the story short, they were denied, saying the motion can be allowed if the bail is not more than 2,000 pesos (where perjury I think was at 6,000) and if the sentence is not more than 3 months I think (where perjury was for 6 months). Mayor Lim, because he knows he can't do anything to help Uncle Jun if he's in the city jail, said he'd post bail for him. However, in order for that to happen, Uncle Jun still has to be taken pictures of, and will be on record as to posting bail, something he firmly stood against.
Anyway, as of the moment, Uncle Jun's going to jail sometime soon (he said probably around June), and we're back to the uncertain thoughts of what could be if everything goes through.
I read the papers this morning (well it was yesterday's paper), and read that Mike Defensor asked for "a fair chance" in court to pursue his case, claiming that he too, "was Catholic", and that the court is the only venue for him to "clear his name" on the allegations of Uncle Jun, linking his name to kidnapping and denying knowledge of the NBN-ZTE deal. I looked at the definition of perjury, and this is what I found through Google (ah.. wikipedia-esque research... it's for blogging, gimme a break.
- Perjury consists in wilfully and falsely swearing to a fact material to the point in issue before a court or tribunal having legal authority to inquire into the cause or matter investigated.
- Another definition is the wilful utterance of false testimony under oath or affirmation before a competent tribunal, upon a point material to a legal inquiry.
- To commit perjury a person must swear wilfully, corruptly and falsely. The false statement made by the witness under oath must be known to him to be false and intended by him to mislead the court or jury.
Now, I wasn't there when it happened, but I'd take my uncle's word over Mike's any day. Uncle Jun and Mike D worked together for the government. He was one who tried to convince voters in the family to put in Mike's name when he ran for senator, which my cousin and I thought was more favor-driven than service-driven. Working with him made Uncle Jun see Mike as a person, and a good friend, but that didn't change our (meaning, me and some cousins and probably some elders) perception of him as the president's favorite lapdog. He's the best ass-licker there is, with the uncanny ability to look you straight in the eyes while giving a sincere look even though he's throwing bullshit at you. If you're the presidential spokesperson, you have to have that kind of ability with all the crap that's happening within the government. Ed Ermita has it easy, he looks like an asshole, so you can't see him losing composure that much because his face remains the same. Mike D? I don't know what training he had to undergo to keep himself composed with that expressive face of his. But he is the best among the best.
And now, he's using his family and his "honor" and "name" as reasons why he filed the case against my uncle, and it was "not politically driven" but rather to "defend" his name against Uncle Jun's allegations, and it was because of the "inconsistencies" in Uncle Jun's statements. The crappy thing about this legal crap is when you say "I am working in Ortigas", it is totally different from "I work in Ortigas". THAT becomes an inconsistency. And the persecuting lawyers prey on those lapses. I don't know, even the funniest stories can vary sometimes everytime you re-tell them. 50k for "pamalengke" and it's just prepared in the car like it was some loose change? Please. Did Mike D deny that he gave the money? No. In fact, he was proud of it.
I don't hear his wife calling for justice to his husband's "good" name, so I'm guessing she knows even Mike D isn't doing this for the right reasons. Then again, after writing this blog, I wouldn't be surprised to see Mike D doing some puppy dog eyes beside his crying wife who is calling for "fairness" on national TV.
Anyway, what Mike D says is true, that the court is the proper venue for these kinds of stuff. But local courts? I don't know. They're probably one "pamalengke" away from bending the truth. What's crappy about this is that Uncle Jun's going to be sentenced to jail as if he was a common criminal, and that will only probably be because of some "inconsistencies" with his testimony.
To Mike: no, the sisters do not condemn you from Church when they side with Uncle Jun on the perjury case you filed. The whole Catholic Church is not against you just because some leaders side with Uncle Jun. You may not have your "own version of the truth" and is merely pointing out the "inconsistencies" in Uncle Jun's statements, but you know what went down. You were being built up to us by him as a good person. Work on your being Catholic and don't let the man be treated as a common criminal for some "inconsistencies". Come clean. Help the cause for truth. GMA's been there too long, why let the few benefit while all the rest suffer? Ndi dahil ndi alam ng mga tao ang nangyayari sa loob ng gobyerno ay ndi nila mararanasan ang hirap na maidudulot nito pagdating ng panahon. Kung Katoliko ka nga, wag kang maging gahaman, at isipin mo rin ang kinabukasan ng iba, di lang kinabukasan mo at ng pamilya mo.
To all those wondering: No, Uncle Jun won't be part of the Nacionalista slate. Manny V is a good man, but Uncle Jun said being a senator is not one of his priorities, and even the sisters don't like the idea of him joining politics.
pards better contact ask rey for help. he's dad is a lawyer right? and also ask kali, he's brother is also a lawyer.
ReplyDeleteabout that judge probably nagpapabango ng pangalan sa malacanang para tumaas ang ranko niya.
hahaha.. baka ikaw na ang kasuhan ng "perjury" nyan... hahaha...
ReplyDelete@bert: "his dad's a lawyer". er, ako personally wala naman magagawa eh, siguro sa explanation lang, for added knowledge. si uncle jun, marami nang abugado, mga nag-offer tumulong pro bono. kun mei bayad un pati apo ng mga apo nya mei utang na sa tagal at dami ng mga kaso.:p
ReplyDelete@bolz: i dare him. hehe...
For me, not posting bail is not a good idea. The Evil Bitch would like to see JLO behind bars. And it would be a pleasant entertainment for the fake president to see him in such terrible condition.
ReplyDeleteIf we are anticipating public outrage after the arrest, I guess we are becoming so naive. A lot of people now doesn't care about morality, justice, good governance etc..People now wanted to have economic security, without taking any form of "risk". Sad reality!
If JLO would like to continue his advocacy for good governance. He has 2 option. First, run for Senator, so that he would have power and constituency to advance his advocacy. Second, advocate and work for a revolution.
Just my two cents!
tumpak eto un naisip ko. kasi baka may strategy sila sa ganyan. :D
ReplyDeletehe won't post bail because of principles he stands by. he (or we) still believe he did not commit such crimes he is charged with, but he will not resist arrest if our local courts find him guilty, as his kind of protest against blind justice.
ReplyDeleteyes, talks of him running for office has never died down ever since he came to the public's eyes. but he said once before that he will not run, and i personally wish he wouldn't, just because he said it in the first place. running for office would make him go against his own words. even his siblings have told him that running for office seems to be the only option for him to be safe, and for him to put his knowledge and talents to good use, that is, to serve the people.
however, i personally don't want him to run because 1.) to honor his words, 2.) because he was eaten by the system before, it's not farfetched to think that he may be again, precisely because he'd still be working in the same system of government.
i still go with your second option because we can't work with this kind of government. a revolution is the only way to clean up the system.
yes i believe he did not commit any crime, that's why i don't want him to spend time in jail. Perjury is bailable offense, and he has constitutional rights to post bail. Allowing himself to languish in jail because of the crime he did not commit would just further intensify the suffering of his love ones. I think being tough with his principle for this case will not do good for him and for his family, even to the country because it would simply demonstrate how powerful gloria was.
ReplyDeletesayang naman!! mas maraming lito lapid at bong revilla pa ang maboboto sa senado. kasi yung mga matitino na tao may "word of honor". It's like allowing the pigs to rule the government. kawawa ang pinas!
ReplyDeleteafter everything he's been through, his family believes he knows what he's doing, and they support him. he will not post bail, and will not resist arrest, but we're all still hoping that he won't need to spend time in jail. it's a case i can't find any reason to believe.
ReplyDelete50k for "pamalengke"? wtf. ewan. i don't understand his basis for his "perjury" case.
it's just me. he may probably run, but i don't know. it's just hypocritical for him to run because it would become another thing that the evil one would prey on: sabi sabi na ndi tatakbo, malamang kaya lang ginawa un ginawa nya kasi magpapakilala. and though i want to believe that we are not a people that is ignorant, i still believe that there are naive people who exist that may easily be swayed by these accusations.
ReplyDeletetake note i made this point din naman: 2.) because he was eaten by the system before, it's not farfetched to think that he may be again, precisely because he'd still be working in the same system of government.
that's the drawback of being a public figure: whatever he does now, run or not, he's going to get criticisms. if he does, everything he did would look like they were all politically driven. if he doesn't, he will seem to be a coward who doesn't want to take the responsibility of being a leader in the government...
i guess we'll all just have to wait and see.
besides, ndi porke't mei mga campaign ads na si manny villar at mar roxas sa TV eh sure nang magkakaroon ng eleksyon next year no...
charter change bill:
passed by the 2 sons of the bitch. (really, a Kapampangan representing a district in Bicol? no offense to Pampangueños, but, bakit di na lang sa Pampanga din? no offense to those being "represented" by Dato Arroyo, but, bakit nyo binigay?)
will inevitbly be approved in the lower house (they managed to oust an influential political figure in JDV, why can't this small thing not pass?) headed by another presidential lapdog as speaker.
and despite his "firm" conviction that it will not pass the senate, this particular senate president has been known to be a more "political butterfly" than loren legarda will ever be. to protect his assets, i will not be surprised if he blindsides people with his approval of the charter change.
pero pde ma-veto ng president. HA! asa.:P
Ok. sana mapanindigan nya yan. mag mumukha syang katawa tawa kapag nakulong na sya ng ilang buwan or taon atsaka sya mag bibail or gagawa ng paraan para makalabas ng kulungan.
ReplyDeletePero para sa akin na naniniwal sa kakayahan ni JLO, di ako pabor na magpakulong sya. Maraming paraan na nalabanan ang sistema, pero hindi sa ganitong paraan.