An internecine war is going on between two agencies in the Office of the President – the Optical Media Board and the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG). PASG chief Antonio Villar calls OMB chairman Edu Manzano a liar and a congressional investigation seems inevitable.

Two recent columns gave both sides of the story. Now, for the updates. On June 29, OMB informed Judge Vicencio Baclig of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court that the replicating machines and other items seized by virtue of the search warrant had disappeared. Hence, Baclig’s June 11, 2009 Court Order granting the OMB custody of the seized items has become worthless for all intents and purposes.

The judge directed PO2 Gilbert Abarro to comment on the Manifestation and "to report on the present whereabouts of the seized items, particularly the replicating machines, within 10 days from notice of this Order."

Now comes two witnesses who, on June 16, saw the replicating machines and other confiscated items being hauled away -- security guard Pepe Montes Belarmino, and chairman Nestor Berroya of Barangay San Antonio, San Francisco del Monte, Quezon City.

Berroya says it was the PASG that padlocked and guarded the raided house where the seized items were being kept. He says that the PASG would not even allow barangay officials to take a peek into the house; that they always shooed away the patrolling barangay tanods whenever the tanods were in the area.

Berroya further declared that he reported the goings-on in the raided house to the police precinct nearest their barangay; that some policemen came over to take a look, but left not long after,

For his part, security guard Belarmino declared that at about 2:30 p.m. last June 16, he saw about 10 men loading a big item on a blue vehicle. Smaller items were also loaded. Between 8:30 to 9 p.m. that same date, two mobile cars came to the place but left after some time. He also saw an owner type-vehicle and a man, aged 46 to 50, who he presumed was a supervisor.

Except for the policemen in the mobile cars, all the other men were in civilian clothes and he did not see anybody in OMB uniform. He also overheard one of the men saying that the items will be loaded in a container in the pier and will be taken to another country.

OMB also refutes a claim made by PASG executive director for operations, Danny Mangila, that he (Mangila) got an "authenticated copy of a June 16 OMB request for assistance from the Quezon City Police District Headquarters for an operation in Barangay San Antonio."

OMB requested police assistance in connection with the inspections that the agency conducted on the premises of three different companies located in other places (not in Barangay San Antonio), accompanied by representatives of the Business Software Alliance (BSA).

In view of the documentary evidence provided by the BSA, the question must be asked: Is it possible that certain parties may have "doctored" the supposed "authenticated copy’ for a June 16 police assistance mentioned by Mangila? The BSA is a neutral party and it is improbable that it would take sides in the dispute between the OMB and the PASG.

What is most significant is that it now appears that Villar has been less than forthright in his dealings with the OMB.

Right after the PASG secured a search warrant last April 2, the PASG immediately raided the house on the evening of that same date. Yet when Villar called up Manzano on the evening of April 2 to ask for his assistance in enforcing the search warrant, he did not tell Manzano that his men had already raided and secured the subject premises. This is borne out by the following documents:

The search warrant itself, Page 2 of which was signed by the arrested Malaysian, is proof of this. Teo Choon Siong indicated the date as 02/04/09 and the time as 8:10 p.m. It also carries the signature of a certain Ex-O Teofamos P. Calo who noted the date as 4/2/9.

A PASG Certificate of Orderly Search dated April 02, 2009, which was also signed by Ex-O Teofamos P. Calo, Lourdes Manuel and Ramil D. Ritua.

A PASG List of Inventory, page 1 of which indicated the date and time as 02 April 2009 / 8 p.m. Page 2 of this document shows the signatures of Teo Choon Siong, and Kagawads Joeffrey Conse and Eric Chua. All three indicated the date as 02/04/09 and the identical time of 9:25 p.m.

All the above show unmistakable proof of the April 3 raid having been staged managed, with the presence of OMB representatives and coverage by media people. It must be noted that there were no OMB personnel and no press reporters in the raid that the PASG conducted the previous night.

There’s one more intriguing facet in this dispute. PASG’s Villar had earlier claimed that his agency turned over the seized items to the OMB on the day of the raid itself (April 3) and that the OMB custody over them has remained with the OMB since that day.

Yet at least two of his operatives seem to be making a liar out of him. The two are PO2 Gilbert Abarro and PASG deputy director for intelligence Peter Nimrod Guzman.

PO2 Gilbert Abarro filed a Compliance/Return of Search Warrant, dated April 7, 2009, wherein he declared that the seized articles were being "secured and guarded by PASG-PNP components." This clearly shows that the seized items were under the control and custody of the PASG at the time Abarro submitted this document to the Court.

Guzman said that a document purportedly signed by OMB executive director Rosendo Meneses states that the agency (OMB) took custody of the replicating machines on April 14.

Was the turnover done on April 3 (as Villar claims) or on April 14?

Neither. OMB clarifies that what the agency received on April 14 was four boxes of assorted stamper/master copying disk. Receipt of these items was acknowledged by PASG’s Manuel Mangubat.

The four boxes were listed as Item No. 19 on Page 2 on the PASG List of Inventory. Mangubat had the presence of mind to place a bracket sign opposite the items he received and the words "Nothing follows" below before he signed his name to indicate that these were the only items he received.

The OMB’s copy of the Inventory List is signed by Mangubat where he also made the following notation: "14 Apr 2009 / 0943 H Released to OMB thru Manuel Mangubat C, EIB for inventory."

Of course, the PASG can also show sheaves of document to back their own assertions.

Since both sides have called for a Congressional investigation, perhaps this is the only way to unmask who is engaged in chicanery – and who pocketed the P10 million.

After all, the Office of the President seems unable to ferret out which of the two agencies under the OP is lying. Clearly, someone in the OP is using his powers to feather his nest for the coming post-Gloria period