Warrants out for tycoon's kin (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

A QUEZON CITY court has issued warrants of arrest for businessman Mariano Tanenglian and members of his family in connection with a case filed by their former househelp, who they allegedly maltreated.

Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria, of Regional Trial Court Branch 94, also issued a hold departure against Tanenglian, his wife Aleta and children Fayette and Maximilian.

The charges of illegal detention, trafficking and child abuse were based on a complaint by Aljane Bacanto, a former housemaid of the family.

Illegal detention and trafficking are nonbailable offenses. A bail of P80,000 for each of the accused was set by the court for child abuse cases.

The prosecution asked for the issuance of a hold departure order, saying the accused are “very influential and prominent people” who have access to both domestic and international transportation.

Defense lawyers opposed the move, citing a pending motion to hold in abeyance the issuance of arrest warrants because of a pending motion for reconsideration in the Department of Justice.


Source:
Julie M. Aurelio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted May 15, 2010 at http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20100515-270047/Warrants-out-for-tycoons-kin

Court orders arrest of businessman, family for maid abuse (The Philippine Star)

Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 94 has ordered the arrest of businessman Mariano Tanenglian, his wife and two children over the alleged maltreatment of one of their underage housemaids.

In an order dated May 4, Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria also issued a hold departure against Tanenglian, estranged brother of businessman Lucio Tan; his wife Aleta and children Fayette and Maximilian.

The charges of illegal detention, trafficking and child abuse were based on a complaint filed by Aljane Bacanto, a former housemaid of the Tanenglians. The case of another former helper, Mary Jane Sollano, who was also allegedly maltreated by the family, was raffled to the sala of Quezon City RTC Branch 102 Judge Lourdes Giron.

The STAR tried contacting Tanenglian’s lawyer, Raymund Quiroz, but to no avail. In past interviews, Quiroz had denied the charges against the Tanenglians. He had linked the case to Mariano Tanenglian’s move to testify against his estranged brother, tycoon Lucio Tan, in a government case.

The Bureau of Immigration and Department of Foreign Affairs were both given a copy of the hold departure order against the accused. The court also denied the motion to suspend proceedings filed by the defense.

The prosecution had asked for the issuance of the hold departure order, claiming that the accused are “very influential and prominent people” and have access to both domestic and international transportation.

But the defense had opposed this, citing a pending motion to hold in abeyance the issuance of arrest warrants due to a pending motion for reconsideration filed with the Department of Justice. However, the court found no ground for the court to suspend proceedings and defer issuance of warrants of arrest.



Source:
Reinir Padua
The Philippine Star
Posted May 15, 2010 at http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=575309&publicationSubCategoryId=65

Court orders arrest of tycoon’s brother (People's Journal)

The Quezon City Regional Trial Court ordered the arrest of a brother of business tycoon Lucio Tan, Mariano Tanenglian, and his family over charges of illegal detention, trafficking and child abuse for allegedly maltreating their former housemaid.

Presiding Judge Roslyn Rabara-Tria issued the warrants of arrest for Mariano Tanenglian, his wife Aleta and their children Fayette and Maximillian. The family court also issued a hold departure order (HDO) against the Tanenglians.

The Department of Justice (DoJ) filed the cases against the respondents based on the complaint of Aljane Bacanto, who was a minor when she was hired as housemaid of the Tanenglians.

No bail was recommended for the accused on the illegal detention and trafficking charges while a bail of P80,000 was recommended for the child abuse case.

The judge granted the appeal of the prosecution for the issuance of the HDO, saying the accused are “very influential and prominent people” and have access to both domestic and international transportation.

The defense, however, said there is a pending motion to hold in abeyance the issuance of arrest warrants against the accused pending resolution of the motion for reconsideration they filed before the DoJ.



Soruce:
Cory Martinez
People's Journal
Posted May 15, 2010 at http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/metro/9528-court-orders-arrest-of-tycoons-brother-.html

Court issues hold order against taipan’s brother (Manila Standard Today)

Branch 94 of the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City has issued arrest warrants against Mariano Tanenglian—brother of business tycoon Lucio Tan—and his family following the child abuse and illegal detention charges filed against them by a former maid.

The defense lawyers asked the court to defer issuing the warrants because they had a pending motion before the Justice Department, but the court denied them in its order dated May 4 since they found "no ground for the court to suspend proceedings and defer [the] issuance of warrants of arrest.”

Mariano Tan aside, the others for whom arrest warrants have been issued were his wife Aleta and children Fayette and Maximillian. The court also issued a hold order on them so they may not leave the country.

The four have been charged with nine counts of violating the Anti-Child Abuse Law, for which the court has set bail at P80,000 each, as well as child trafficking and illegal detention for which bail is not allowed.

The complainant, Aljane Bacanto, says she started working for the accused at their Quezon City residence in May 2006, but for three years she was not allowed to go out, was not paid, was not given enough food, and was hurt physically over the slightest error.

Another maid had filed a separate case of serious illegal detention and child abuse against the Tanenglians, and it was raffled off to Quezon City Branch 102 under Presiding Judge Lourdes Giron, another family court where the proceedings are confidential.


Source:
Roy Pelovello
Manila Standard Today
Posted May 15, 2010 at http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNews.htm?f=2010/may/15/news4.isx&d=2010/may/15

Court junks brother’s plea to testify vs Lucio Tan (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division has junked two motions related to businessman Mariano Tanenglian’s efforts to turn state witness and testify against his own brother, tobacco magnate Lucio Tan.

In two resolutions released on Friday, the Sandiganbayan’s dismissed Tanenglian’s motion to reconsider his offer to turn state witness, and another motion filed by lawyer Catalino Generillo seeking the reopening of the presentation of evidence against Tan.

In both resolutions, the court said that no new issues were raised in the new motions to warrant the reversal or modification of the earlier rulings.

Mariano Tanenglian is charged together with Tan with allegedly holding assets that are part of the ill-gotten wealth of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. But after a falling-out with his brother, Tanenglian offered to turn state’s evidence in exchange for immunity.

In January, the court denied Tanenglian’s manifestation and motion which asked the court to direct the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) to resolve his offer to become a government witness, to reopen the trial so he could testify, and to order the PCGG and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to give him copies of their recommendations.

In again denying his appeal, the court said it agreed with Tan as well as with government lawyers that Tanenglian raised the same issues the court had already resolved. The court noted that it was the prosecution that should be asking for a reopening of the presentation of evidence and not Tanenglian, who is one of the defendants in the case.

In February, the court denied an omnibus motion of Atty. Catalino Generillo that sought, among other things, the reopening of the trial so Tanenglian could testify.

The court said Generillo, who was part of the prosecution panel against Tan until the OSG terminated his services, was no longer a real party in interest in the case.

Generillo filed a second motion for reconsideration in March but this was also denied by the court in the resolution released on Friday.

Source:
Edson C. Tandoc Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted May 2, 2010 at http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20100502-267651/Court-junks-brothers-plea-to-testify-vs-Lucio-Tan

Sandiganbayan junks case vs Lucio Tan on Marcos wealth (The Daily Tribune)

The Sandiganbayan Wednesday junked with finality the petition filed by his brother Mariano Tanenglian against business tycoon Lucio C. Tan for the reopening of the case against Tan in order to prove that his assets are owned by the Marcoses.

The anti-graft court has denied Tanenglian’s motion for reconsideration (MR) for lack of merit based on the five-page resolution of the Sandiganbayan 5th Division.

The court also junked the plea of Mariano Tan to order the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) to grant him immunity from suit if ever he testifies against his brother.

The Sandiganbayan said the MR filed by Tanenglian last March 15, 2010 did not raise any new matters which would warrant of their ruling last Feb. 12, 2010. The Sandiganbayan earlier ruled that it was without jurisdiction to direct the PCGG to act on, much less accept, the offer of defendant Tanenglian to be a witness.

Since Mariano Tanenglian was also a defendant in the case, it was absurd of him, instead of the government, to ask for the reopening of the trial. It even blamed the prosecution for failing to present all its witnesses despite being given every chance to do so during a full-blown trial.

Recently, the Anti-Graft Court opined that former PCGG lawyer Catalino Generillo is not a real party in interest and has no legal personality anymore to represent the case after he was sacked by the government to act as lawyer for the case. Hence, he cannot ask for a reopening of the case.

It pointed out that Generillo cannot claim ownership over the (documents of the said case) as the said works are the result of the performance of his regularly-assigned duties, hence, ownership belongs to his employer, the PCGG.

The Marcoses claimed that they owned the 60 percent of the corporations of Tan. But the Philippine government and the Marcos cannot produce the original documents supposedly proving that Lucio C. Tan acted as dummy for Marcos.

The said corporations of Tan which were allegedly claimed by the Marcoses are Fortune Tobacco Corp., Asia Brewery Inc., Allied Banking Corp., Foremost Farms, Himmel Industries Inc., Grandspan Development Corp., Silangan Holdings Inc., Dominium Realty and Construction Corp. and Shareholdings Inc.

Source:
Charlie V. Manalo
The Daily Tribune
Posted April 30, 2010 at http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20100430met1.html

Court rejects plea of Lucio's brother (Manila Standard Today)

The Sandiganbayan's Fifth Division dismissed with finality an appeal to reopen the case against Lucio Tan to prove that his assets are owned by the family of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

The court denied the appeal of Mariano Tanenglian, Tan's brother, for lack of merit, and likewise rejected his plea that the Presidential Commission on Good Government grant him immunity from suit if ever he testified against Tan.

The court said the appeal that Tanenglian filed on March 15 did not raise anything new to warrant changing its decision rejecting his first appeal on Feb. 12. It said Tanenglian was a co-defendant in the case against Tan, and that it was absurd of him to ask for its reopening instead of the government, the complainant.

Source:
Macon Ramos Araneta
Manila Standard Today
Posted April 30, 2010 at http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNews.htm?f=2010/april/30/news6.isx&d=2010/april/30

Anti-graft court junks case vs Lucio Tan (Business World)

The Sandiganbayan has dismissed an appeal by Mariano Tanenglian for the reopening of the illegal wealth case against businessman and brother Lucio C. Tan.

In a five-page resolution, the court's fifth division dismissed the motion for reconsideration filed by Mariano Tanenglian for lack of merit.

Mr. Tanenglian has also asked the court to order the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) to grant him immunity in case he testifies against his brother.

The court originally quashed the appeal last Feb. 12. The court then ruled that it would be unreasonable for Mr. Mariano Tanenglian to file for the reopening of the case since he is also one of the defendants.



Source:
Business World
Posted on April 29, 2010 at http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=10192

Sandiganbayan nixes reopening of Lucio Tan case (Malaya)

The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division has ruled with finality against reopening the presentation of evidence in Civil Case No. 0005, a lawsuit filed by the government against assets of businessman Lucio Tan.

In a resolution promulgated April 28, the Sandiganbayan junked the appeal of Tan's estranged brother, Mariano Tanenglian, seeking a court order to compel the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) to grant him immunity in exchange for his proposed testimony against his own brother.

Tanenglian, named co-accused in the case, offered to testify for the government but the Office of the Solicitor General and the PCGG turned him down saying his proposition was suspicious coming this late as the state has already been ordered by the court to terminate its presentation.

The court had earlier said that it has no jurisdiction to direct the PCGG to act on the offer of Mariano Tanenglian to be a witness.

According to the Marcos family's claim, former President Ferdinand Marcos was the real owner of numerous companies and Tan was simply the late strongman's nominee.

Source:
Peter J.G. Tabingo
Malaya
Posted April 30, 2010 at http://www.malaya.com.ph/04302010/metro4.html

SB junks with finality plea on reopening of raps vs. Lucio Tan (Philippine News Agency)

Sandiganbayan denied with finality the plea filed by Mariano Tanenglian against businessman Lucio Tan in connection with the re-opening of the case against him seeking to prove that his assets are owned by the Marcoses.

In a five-page resolution penned by Associate Justice Roland Jurado, the Sandiganbayan 5th Division denied the motion for reconsideration filed by Tanenglian due to lack of merit.

Sandiganbayan also dismissed the plea of Tan's brother to order the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) to grant him immunity from suit if ever he testifies against his brother.

The anti-graft court earlier ruled that it was "without jurisdiction to direct the PCGG to act on, much less accept, the offer of defendant Tanenglian to be a witness". Since Mariano Tanenglian was also a defendant in the case, it was "absurd" of him, instead of the government, to ask for a reopening of the trial, the Sandiganbayan said.

The Sandiganbayan recently opined that ex-PCGG lawyer Catalino Generillo is not a real party of interest and has no legal personality anymore to represent the case after he was sacked by the government to act as lawyer for the case.

The Marcoses claimed that they owned 60 percent of the corporations of Tan. However, the Philippine government and the Marcoses cannot produce the originals of the documents supposedly proving that Tan acted as a dummy for the late strongman.

The said corporations of Tan which were allegedly claimed by the Marcoses are Fortune Tobacco Corp.: Asia Brewery, Inc.; Allied Banking Corp.; Foremost Farms; Himmel Industries, Inc.; Grandspan Development Corp.: Silangan Holdings, Inc.; Dominium Realty and Construction Corp. and Shareholdings, Inc.

Source:
Philippine News Agency
Posted April 29, 2010 at http://balita.ph/2010/04/29/sb-junks-with-finality-plea-on-reopening-of-raps-vs-lucio-tan/