Tan's brother fails to appear before PCGG

MANILA, Philippines - A Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) official said that businessman Mariano Tanenglian, the younger brother of tycoon Lucio Tan, has again failed to show up before the commission to discuss his request to be a state witness and granted immunity in the government’s ill-gotten wealth case against his brother.

Lawyer Ricardo Abcede, PCGG commissioner for asset management, said the agency was already losing patience with Tanenglian due to his repeated failure to appear before them and discuss his offer to testify in the case in exchange for immunity.

Abcede said the PCGG was looking at issuing a final invitation to Tanenglian, otherwise his request will be rejected with finality.

“He has to appear before us and discuss with us what he has to offer. It would be unfair if we will make him a state witness without him appearing before us,” he said.

“The Office of the Solicitor General (PSG) had earlier arrived at the conclusion that Mr. Tanenglian could not be utilized as a state witness in the sequestration cases involving Mr. Lucio Tan, apparently because the information that he had provided, or was willing to provide, was deemed by the OSG not sufficient nor substantial as to warrant the grant of immunity from suit that he wanted in exchange for whatever disclosures he was willing to make,” Abcede said.

He said that it has always been Tanenglian’s lawyer, Raymond Quiroz, who has been going to the PCGG to discuss his client’s offer to testify, which prevented them from getting a clear idea on what his testimony would be as a state witness.

“It has always been through counsel, never a personal appearance by Mr. Tanenglian,” Abcede said.

The PCGG commissioner said the agency was wary of using Tanenglian’s offer as leverage against his elder brother even if there were reports that the two are engaged in a bitter family squabble.

Abcede lamented that their caution in granting immunity to Tanenglian was being twisted by some sectors to insinuate that they were collaborating with Tan.

“We’re not coddling Lucio Tan. The big and ignominious lie currently being propagated in the media is that the Arroyo administration is in cahoots with Mr. Lucio Tan for the latter to win the sequestration cases against him and his companies,” he said.

“The truth is, all past administrations have battled it out with Mr. Lucio Tan, but thus far, Mr. Tan has been victorious in retaining ownership and control of the companies subject of sequestration in 1986,” Abcede said.

The government wants to sequester Tan’s companies such as Fortune Tobacco, Asia Brewery and Foremost Farms, believing that these were partly owned by the late deposed President Ferdinand Marcos, who was a close associate.