Category: Criminal law

Finally, one media outfit gave the complete picture. GMA Channel 7 news reporter Joseph Morong’s story on the dismissal of coup charges against Honasan included interviews of DOJ Deputy Chief Prosecutor Dong Fadullon (voted/ awarded Best Prosecutor in 2002 by a committee of the Supreme Court, for his professionalism and for his string of victories against the kidnap-for-ransom syndicates (he has seen three Presidents and just does his job regardless of who the boss is) and who said he was taken aback by the sudden dismissal of the case because, he said, he had sifted all the evidence and in fact amended the Information (charge) several times until it was perfect and that was the only time he filed it. Apparently, even during the so-called “review” by Raul Gonzales, no queries/ comments were brought to his desk. (between the two, guess who’s integrity is unquestioned?)

Another interview included by GMA7’s Joseph Morong was that of the PNP-CIDG (last Friday, Net 25 news carried a similar interview but the PNP-CIDG simply said they would abide by whatever decision the DOJ made.) Yesterday, PNP-CIDG said they were “dismayed” at the dismissal of the case because they’d gathered credible and convincing evidence from the co-conspirators themselves, it was first-hand evidence and, they said, they’d put together a tight case, only to be told it had been thrown away.

Gloria thinks she can tame tigers; exerting pressure here and there on former Marcos cronies and their assistants, and everybody else, who have pending cases, and rewarding those who would deal. When she is out of power, she’ll see the long-term effects of not allowing justice to take its course when she could, and when she had the chance.

There was a nationwide manhunt for Honasan last year by the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in an extensive and elaborate operation under the command of Asher Dolina. That day-to-night city-to-city, island-to-island surveillance, casing, note-taking, tapping of telephone lines, transcription, encoding, interviewing of witnesses, fielding of assets, took away valuable resources that could have otherwise been successfully used for hunting down common criminal syndicates, kidnap-for-ransom gangs, even finding the mastermind of the extrajudicial killings and disappearances.

And you tell me now: the DOJ at that time was not sure it had probable cause? So it reversed itself today? When Malacanang needs senators’ votes in the bid for the Senate presidency?

That expensive, national operation, involving bemedalled men, women, sniff dogs, triangulation devices, satellites, telephone companies, automatic utility vehicles, motorcycles, boats, planes, ended at 3:00 am in a compound of a condominium unit in Pasig, with their quarry limping, groping for words “In two years, I’ll be a senior citizen” and being booked at 5:00 am.

And you tell me, there was never any case? The DOJ was never sure? It was an episode of “Amazing Race”? “Lost”? “24?” and “Deal or no Deal”?

What about all those being hunted down for “rebellion” “coup” and “terrorist activities?”

What about those presently languishing in jail on such charges?

It’s just a coincidence, dumdum, you blog too many questions, you’re giving too much material to those who want to question the honor of Her Excellency.

” But lost in the game….xxx

I’m not that innocent!” (with apologies to Britney Spears)