THE Ilusorio-Africa group, that constitutes one of the two boards of director of the government-sequestered Philippine Communications Satellite Corp., (Philcomsat) used mere letters signed by the former chairman of the Government Service Insurance System and the solicitor general to replace the presidential appointees in the Philcomsat group, belying its claim it represents the government in these corporations. 

“The Locsin-Poblador group, in contrast, has these critical appointment documents signed by the President herself and addressed to PCGG, which has the authority to vote the shares in sequestered corporations,” said Pitero Reig, lawyer of the Philcomsat Holdings Corp. (PHC).

“We are ready to show these papers in any public forum. We challenge the crony Ilusorio-Africa group to do the same,” he said.

The crony group controls Philippine Overseas Telecommunications Co. (POTC) and Philcomsat but also wants to control cash-rich PHC which is currently under the Locsin-Poblador group.

“All they have is a letter signed by Bernardino Abes, the former chairman of the Government Service Insurance System, and Agnes Devanadera, the solicitor general and then- acting justice secretary. Can underlings and especially an X-man [Abes] overturn a presidential action?” Reig asked.

The Ilusorio group used the Abes-Devanadera letters to vote themselves into the boards of POTC, Philcomsat and PHC last month, with the sequestered shares being voted by Undersecretary Enrique Perez, not by the PCGG, Reig said.

Perez has been sued for usurping PCGG authority.

“From this alone, it is very clear who represents the government. Besides, how can the government allow  [Marcos] cronies with pending ill-gotten cases with the Sandiganbayan to oversee POTC and Philcomsat, which are both sequestered?” he said.

Reig said the crony group is getting desperate because it recently lost a critical case with the Court of Appeals that in effect validated the legitimacy of the Locsin-Poblador board.

“For them to break into PHC’s main office with armed guards, accompanied by lawyer Lorna Kapunan, and without any court order, much less a sheriff, is an egregious display of criminal behavior by supposedly educated people,” Reig said.

He said all those involved, from the crony group to Kapunan and even some Makati policemen, will have to account for their participation in that “lawless and criminal act.”

“The crony group is acting true to form. The government, through PCGG, must come out to clear the air because sequestered assets are at stake,” he said. 

53 more Magdalo members released

THE Armed Forces released from detention on Thursday 53 of the 54 noncore leaders of the Magdalo who have earlier admitted to the charges after President Arroyo commuted their seven-year sentence by one month, allowing them to spent the holidays with their families as free men—but civilians.

THE government will likely operate under a reenacted 2007 budget by January 1 owing to the failure of a bicameral conference committee to hammer out a consolidated final version of the P1.23- trillion spending bill for 2008 before the yearend.

THE wife of jailed provincial broadcaster Alexander Adonis has expressed fear for the safety of her husband after learning that the latter was illegally taken out of prison for a purported check-up on December 11.

THE environmental watchdog Eco Waste Coalition on Thursday renewed its campaign against the use of firecrackers and reminded the people of its hazardous effect to human and animal health, as well as the environment.

A LEGISLATOR has filed a bill mandating a total gun ban to address the spate of killings and violence in the country.

THE Ilusorio-Africa group, that constitutes one of the two boards of director of the government-sequestered Philippine Communications Satellite Corp., (Philcomsat) used mere letters signed by the former chairman of the Government Service Insurance System and the solicitor general to replace the presidential appointees in the Philcomsat group, belying its claim it represents the government in these corporations.