Prosecutor not heeding DOJ Secretary Gonzalez

A great way to spend this coming Saturday (December 17) is having lunch at Papagayo Restaurant on Jupiter St. cor. Makati Ave., and watching the mini holiday fashion collection of famous designer Criselda Lontok. The show (tickets are priced at P850, including lunch), is being held to put together Christmas gift bags for children incarcerated in jails around the country. The bags will contain towels, toothbrush and toothpaste, underwear, chocolates, biscuits and a hairbrush.

Criselda, who is putting up the show for charity, will raffle off two of her blouses. Her clothes can be bought right after the show. The models are also donating their services. The models include four of Manila’s Loveliest. One of them is Cristal Bagatsing, whom I’ve seen as a little girl many times at the parties in her parents’ home. She is now a very attractive lady and has been featured and placed on the cover of magazines. Definitely, she has shed off her baby fat. The three other Manila belles are Rumples Estacio, Rona Vergel de Dios, and Pam Ayson.

Seasoned models will be Roi Philipps, Marilou Prieto, Coco, Josie Yu, Kelly Illusurio, Patti Cupcupin, Chelle Magno, and Fe Felix.

Papagayo Restaurant, which is on the second floor of Villa Bldg., is run by Connie Lacson and Olivia Villanueva Pizarro, daughters of the late famous Nina Villanueva Fox of Nina’s Papagayo. Aside from Mexican food, Papagayo serves succulent Rib Eye Steak and other Asian foods. Diners enjoy its latest Thai dish, Than Lon Crab, which they are encouraged to pick with their fingers to enjoy the dish thoroughly; they are also given disposable towelletes and finger bowls of tea with kalamansi.

Papagayo is open Monday to Saturday. It’s worthwhile listening to live music rendered by guitarists Friday and Saturday evenings. Its Saturday lunch is reserved for special functions.

* * *

I received a letter from Mayor Virginia D. Animas, M.D., of Sapang Dalaga in Misamis Occidental. The mayor’s family has long been harassed by political opponents in the form of filing non-bailable charges (like murder, kidnapping and illegal recruitment) against them and giving their wrong address. Consequently, when subpoenas were issued them, they could not attend the preliminary investigations because they had not been issued the subpoenas.

The mayor took her complaint all the way to Manila, to the Department of Justice. Thereupon, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez sent a memorandum to all prosecutors, saying that any future complaint filed against the members of the Animas family must bear their real address, which is Sapang Dalaga, Misamis Occidental.

Investigating Prosecutor Wilfredo S. Pangandoyan Jr. of Mandaue City either did not receive the Secretary’s directive or disregarded it. Last December 8, he issued a subpoena to members of the Animas family on the charge of kidnapping Elvis Villanueva and Tata Bation. The subpoena was addressed to #42 JM Bass St., San Nicolas, Cebu City.

Mayor Animas is calling the attention of the Secretary to this development. Below is her letter.

"This is to report to you that last Dec. 8, 2005, another frame-up kidnapping case (I.S. No. 05-08-1783) against the undersigned including Vice Mayor Annabelle Suminguit, former Vice Mayor Donjie Animas, former Mayor Joel Maniwan and former Secretary Alfonso D’Lonsod IV was discovered pending before the City Prosecutor’s Office in Mandaue City since August 2005. The same was patterned after the previous frame-up cases filed in other prosecutors’ offices in Metro Manila where the investigating prosecutors were misled as to the true address of the accused. Instead of giving our address as Sapang Dalaga, Misamis Occidental, this time, our given address is #42 JM Bass St., San Nicolas, Cebu City. In fact, the Mandaue City case is based on the alleged kidnapping of Elvis Villanueva and Tata Bation, the same persons that the undersigned and company allegedly kidnapped in Naic, Cavite, which case is now pending preliminary investigation (I.S. No. NC-04-4090) with the Department of Justice. A CLEAR CASE OF FORUM SHOPPING.

"The preliminary investigation of the Mandaue City kidnapping case already started last August 19, 2005, with investigating Prosecutor Wilfredo S. Pangandoyan Jr. sending a subpoena to the undersigned and other accused with the ‘wrong address’ instead of Sapang Dalaga, Misamis Occidental. This, in spite of the earlier issuance by the Department of Justice of a Memorandum Order dated May 30, 2005, informing all regional state prosecutors, all state prosecutors, all provincial prosecutors, all city prosecutors and all their assistants to the modus operandi of filing framed-up cases against the undersigned, her relatives and political allies. Anent thereto, the City Prosecutor of Mandaue City is supposed to forward the case to the Department of Justice for the requisite preliminary investigation, instead of issuing a subpoena.

"Madam, we are already very frustrated. Please help us put an end to this seeming unstoppable modus operandi of filing framed-up cases by exposing the same through your column."– Signed, Virginia D. Animas, M.D., Municipal Mayor.

* * *

TUESDAY’S BULONG PULUNGAN was the last for this year, and ended with a bang. First of all, Westin Philippine Plaza’s Rose Hilario Libongco accepted our thanks for hosting the media forum for the last 18 years. She said that January up to October next year, the hotel, which is currently undergoing renovation, will be called Hotel Philippine Plaza, after which, it will be called Sofitel Philippine Plaza .

Bulung Pulungan’s appreciation awardees this year are: Environment Secretary Michael Defensor; Cerge Remonde, head of the Government Media Bureau; Dr. Ramon Severino, who is taking care of 50 children cancer patients at the East Avenue Medical Center, and Manila City Mayor Lito Atienza.

A woman for all seasons, Gina de Venecia, was applauded for her having led the Congressional Spouses Foundation, of which she is president, in establishing rehabilitation centers for battered women. Last Tuesday, she announced another remarkable project yet. She said that after the loss of her youngest daughter, KC, to a fire, she realized that mothers who lose their children need not be alone in their grief. So she thought of putting up the INA Foundation, Inc., "to provide psychosocial support to bereaved mothers through programs and projects aimed at helping them to move on from a place of grief to a place of hope, empowering them to reach out to others."

Gina said that Ali Sotto, a media celebrity, served as a catalyst in co-founding the advocacy, as Ali herself has lost her son Miko to an accident.

Groundbreaking ceremonies for the INA Healing Center will be held tomorrow, Friday, 9:30 a.m., at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DWSD), Batasan Pambansa Complex.

Rep. Peping Cojuangco was an awardee, and he brought with him four of the SEA Games gold winners. Other awardees: Tony Maloto, executive director of Gawad Kalinga; the PCSO, represented by its new chair, Serge Valencia; Charito Plaza; Raymond Lee, director of the award-winning film, "Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros"; the legendary Socorro Ramos of National Book Store, and just as legendary Asuzena Vera Perez of Sampaguita Pictures and the cool Marichu Maceda.

Bulung’s core group expressed appreciation for Deedee Siytangco’s courage and fortitude as she went through difficult times, attending some Bulung sessions sometimes, even as she ministered to her sick husband, Sonny, who passed away a couple of weeks ago.

* * *

My e-mail:[email protected]