Who is Veronica Nepomuceno?
Veronica Nepomuceno is the mystery woman in Philcomsat
Holdings. I am told that so far, the company has paid P7 million to this woman
as proven by returned checks. We doubt if she exists.
At least one payment of P2 million given to lawyer Luis K.
Lokin for "representation" with the Supreme Court, ended up in her account
although my information is that it was first deposited in the name of a
Chinese-Filipino.
The Supreme Court is investigating the claim of Lokin that he
used P2 million in representation expenses with the Supreme Court. The
suggestion is that he spent the money on the justices or some of them to get a
preliminary injunction.
The claim of using representation money on the Court is
variously interpreted to mean that some members of the Court can be bought.
Strangely, the Court denied the petition for a preliminary
injunction.
The investigating panel of the Court asked me in a formal
hearing to show the documents that prove my complaints. I showed the panel
machine copies with a commitment that under a subpoena duces tecum, I will
produce the original.
Produce Veronica
Without remotely suggesting how the panel will handle the
investigation, I would hazard the guess that it would require Veronica
Nepomuceno to appear in Court. Or require Lokin to produce her person before the
panel.
I do not think the woman exists. She might have been used as
a bridge to hide the money that might have ended up in somebody else’s pocket.
Maybe in the pocket of Lokin? We will find out after the panel completes its
inquiry.
Lokin was suspended from law practice by the Supreme Court
allegedly for unethical practices.
In this case, Lokin, lawyer of the late Potenciano Ilusorio,
acted as counsel for his adversaries or enemies.
I can also produce documents showing that what I am saying is
true. This piece may give Lokin another opportunity to sue me for libel. He once
did but the case was quashed.
I am detailing all these to prove that while some members of
the Court continue to owe loyalty to President Arroyo, they do not sell
decisions.
Unethical practice
Where I sit, I believe that a lawyer engages in unethical
practice when he fails by omission or design to consolidate a case involving
several respondents in a libel charge.
I believe there is a breach of trust when the lawyer charges
the client for every count for each respondent.
A friend told me that his lawyer made a common defense for
about seven respondents in a libel case. Bad enough that the cases were not
consolidated. Worse when the respondents were separately billed although there
was only one common defense.
I am not familiar with legal ethics. Neither is my friend. We
both believe in common sense and in the frustration of false hopes.
Taiwan’s rice program
Taiwan with a population of around 23 million people produces
1.5 million tons of rice yearly. That is remarkably more than what the Taiwanese
need.
The reason for higher productivity, needless to say, is full
support to the farmers, including price subsidy.
A Taiwanese businessman operating here told me over lunch
that the Taiwan government, now again controlled by the Kuomintang Party that
built it, is providing incentives to the rice growers.
To produce more palay? No. This time, fears of a fall of
prices resulting from abundance will not leave the farmers hefty profits.
They are given incentives so they would not create a glut in
the market which is not to their benefit,.
I do not have to repeat for the nth time what is happening in
the Philippines as far as rice is concerned.
If, as President Arroyo says, self-sufficiency in the cereal
may be attained in the coming five years, there will be about 10 million
Filipinos added to the population. The Philippines is the most prolific country
in the world.
It produces two million babies in one year.
Biggest investor in China
Officially, there are no diplomatic relations between the
People’s Republic of China and Taiwan.
But it is widely known that the biggest foreign investor in
China is Taiwan, although official documents will show that not one Taiwan
dollar is invested in China. It is not allowed.
The Taiwanese, realizing the huge potentials of doing
business in the "mother country" channel their investments through other
countries, notably the Cayman Islands, Virgin Islands and other small republics
which are known to be tax havens.
Taiwan’s gross international reserve is higher than $500
billion. On the other hand, China’s hard currency hoard is close to $1 trillion.
