Ex-Estrada aide names self to LWUA

A former Palace assistant of deposed President Joseph Estrada was found to have used "spurious" documents to appoint himself to the board of trustees of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA).

Rolando Ramirez, former assistant on appointments/legislative affairs and special concerns, one of the close aides of Estrada, allegedly used the official bar code and hologram that authenticated documents issued by the Office of the President.

This was discovered after investigations conducted by the Presidential Management Staff assistant secretary for legal affairs, Joe Nathan Tenefrancia, who submitted his report to PMS head Vicky Garchitorena.

In his 15-page report, a copy of which was obtained by The STAR, Tenefrancia recommended the ouster and prosecution of Ramirez as well as the removal of LWUA chairman Alejandrino Ferreira on different legal grounds.

The probe on the two appointees of Estrada started after Ferreira refused to implement a letter sent to him by President Arroyo last March 23 for the LWUA board to designate Lorenzo Jamora as officer-in-charge vice Prudencio Reyes Jr.

In the case of Ramirez, his purported letter of appointment bore a bar code and hologram that had a higher number than the last official document authenticated by Malacañang.

The last document of Estrada before he left office was his instruction to then Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. to open the second envelope in the impeachment trial, which was numbered 22738. It was dated Jan. 19, 2001.

But the supposed appointment papers of Ramirez had the bar code and hologram numbers 22755 and 22810. It was said to have been issued Jan. 2, 2001, and he took his oath of office Jan. 8.

Tenefrancia said there was something fishy here, because official issuances by the President, including appointments, are assigned bar code and hologram numbers that are sequential.

Thus, he pointed out, issuances made at an earlier date should have a lower number than those effected later.

"An examination of the appointment and oath of office of Ramirez would show that while these are respectively dated some 17 and 11 days earlier than the last official act of Estrada, these were nevertheless assigned higher bar code and PJEE hologram numbers. This would suggest that the said appointment and oath of office are spurious," Tenefrancia stated.

As a matter of course, Tenefrancia said, appointments signed by the President must be immediately furnished to the Malacañang Records Office for authentication and recording prior to their release.

Upon inquiry at the records office, however, it was found that a copy of Ramirez’s documents was submitted to it only last May 10, or 128 days after the documents were said to have been executed.

Tenefrancia also said that Ferreira and Reyes could be "replaced at any time," because the appointment of the incumbent LWUA board chairman was void while the acting LWUA administrator was merely "temporary."