Retired Supreme Court justice files charges vs Cayetanos

MANILA, Philippines - Retired Supreme Court associate justice and Taguig mayoralty candidate Dante Tinga yesterday filed criminal charges before the Office of the Ombudsman against Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and Taguig 2nd District Rep. Maria Laarni Cayetano for allegedly “instigating” the filing of a land-grabbing case against him.

Tinga said in filing the malicious and unfounded charges against him, the Cayetanos exposed him to “public hatred, damaging his candidacy for mayor of Taguig City and boosting respondent congresswoman’s candidacy for the same position.”

He charged them with libel and perjury as principals by inducement, while Jovito Olazo was charged as principal by direct participation.

The retired justice alleged “only the Cayetano couple had the motive to induce Olazo in filing the case against him and helping him with legal service and press coverage.“

He said the senator’s law firm provided the legal counsel for Olazo in his case against Jeffrey Rodriguez and Miguel Olazo, his father, over a farm lot in Taguig City before the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The case was decided in favor of Rodriguez, to whom the property was sold by Miguel.

Tinga said the Cayetanos allegedly “instigated, induced, cajoled and influenced respondent Jovito Olazo to file the graft case against Tinga before the Ombudsman last December and accused him of land grabbing and being a party to the sale between Rodriguez and Olazo’s father.”

“Considering the proximity of the filing of the case to the elections, it’s very obvious that this is part of a political mudslinging waged against me. I’m not even a party to the transaction, which was way back in 1995 between Miguel Olazo and Rodriguez as shown by the Deed of Sale.”

“After the passage of 15 long years, and despite the dismissal of Jovito’s claim, the Cayetanos seek to revive the issue to tarnish my image and reputation and serve the ends of dirty politics,” Tinga said.

Tinga said Olazo had raised the same issue before the Judicial and Bar Council when his nomination to the Supreme Court was being considered in 2003.