POLITICAL SOAP OPERA: STAR WITNESS KIDNAPPED OR RESCUED?

MANILA, August 27, 2003  (STAR) By Arnell Ozaeta And Marichu Villanueva  - The political soap opera starring "Jose Pidal" reached a dramatic moment yesterday as the star witness of opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson appeared in the company of the opposing camp and made the audience wonder whether he was rescued or abducted.

According to Malacañang, Eugenio "Udong" Mahusay Jr. was "rescued" by his brothers with a little help from Housing Secretary Michael Defensor and the Presidential Security Group (PSG).

But Lacson claimed that Mahusay was "abducted" from the Milestone Apartelle in Tagaytay City where he had been staying after he claimed to have witnessed First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo sign bank documents under the name of Jose Pidal.

Brandishing Mahusay’s sworn statement, Lacson’s camp claimed the Arroyo camp resorted to such a drastic measure because the First Gentleman was afraid of being charged with the capital crime of plunder.

Lacson denied that Mahusay was being held against his will, adding that the witness was merely placed under "protective custody."

The circumstances of the apparent turnaround remained unclear as of press time. Defensor claimed he talked on the phone with Mahusay, who asked that he be "rescued" from the apartelle. Mahusay’s wife and brothers echoed the request.

"I would like to correct what Senator Lacson claimed that three vehicles with armed men abducted (Mahusay). He voluntarily went with us and now he is with his family," Defensor said in a press conference at the Philippine National Police Academy in Silang, Cavite.

Defensor said he was present when Udong was speaking on the telephone with his policeman-brother PO2 Joseph Mahusay, his wife Julie Ann and their daughter. Joseph is reportedly a member of Defensor’s security detail.

"There was no abduction," Defensor said. "Actually, Udong’s wife, his daughter and his brother were talking over the phone when Udong told me to fetch him."

"Ninong, sunduin n’yo na ko (Godfather, please fetch me)," the housing czar quoted Udong as saying.

Defensor said he went to Tagaytay with Udong’s wife and daughter, Joseph and another brother, Ferdinand, an executive of government-owned Livelihood Corp.

Before they reached the apartelle, Udong sent what appeared to be an urgent text message: "Bilisan nyo may dalawang kotse ng mga armado na susunod sa akin, pero kailangan nyo akong akyatin dito sa itaas ng apartel (Hurry up there are two cars full of armed that will be following me, but you have to come up the apartelle to fetch me)."

Defensor tried to calm Udong down by asking how many persons were "guarding" him and where they were.

When they reached the apartelle, Ferdinand said he outwitted the front office clerk into telling them that Udong was in Room No. 203 and Joseph, for his part, said he almost kicked the door open when a big and burly man opened the door and Udong stuck out his head.

Identifying himself as a policeman, Joseph pulled his brother out of the room and informed the man that they were brothers and they were leaving. There was no untoward incident.

Hands Off Policy?

At the PNPA press conference, Defensor said he was in constant communication with President Arroyo.

Defensor said he called the President when he had Udong in custody and informed her that they would proceed to the PNPA which he thought to be "safe."

"She said: ‘Thank God, thank God! Are you safe? Are you okay?," Defensor quoted the President as saying.

"Yes, we’re safe. We’re okay," Defensor said he replied to the President. "And I said, ‘Madame President, we need security. I don’t know what we’re up against’."

Defensor also admitted calling Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye and asked him to organize a press briefing at PNPA so he could refute Lacson’s claim that the PSG "abducted" Mahusay.

Moments later, two presidential helicopters and a squad of PSG vehicles arrived at the PNPA, followed by a media convoy led by Bunye himself.

"This was done by Mike Defensor, not as an official of Malacañang but as the wedding godfather of Udong," Bunye told Palace reporters.

"When I received his call, I thought it was newsworthy and you would be interested so I told you I’m going to a big story and you can follow me," Bunye said, apparently stressing the event was not an official Palace action.

PSG commander Col. Delfin Bangit also appeared to be trying hard to distance the Palace from the "rescue" operation.

"Secretary Defensor asked for my help," Bangit said.

"I went to the PNPA based on the request of Secretary Defensor who said he needed my help because of some danger," he said.

"I was not following any orders. All I did was based on my sound judgment as commander and nobody told me to do this or that," he added, taking responsibility for the deployment of the helicopters and PSG men, reportedly including snipers.

Bangit angrily denied that his men "abducted" Mahusay: "Mukha ba akong kidnapper (Do I look like a kidnapper)? That’s not true at all. I am the most disinterested in this issue. Hindi kami nakikialam (I don’t meddle)."

The PSG later whisked the Mahusays to an undisclosed location, apparently for safety from an unspecified "danger."

Mahusay was supposed to have been the principal witness to corroborate Lacson’s accusation that the First Gentleman used the Jose Pidal accounts — as well as accounts under the names of his friends — to launder dirty money.

Lacson, who has declared his plan to run for president next year, made the accusations in a privileged speech on Aug. 18. No less than three Senate committees are set to start on Sept. 2 a joint investigation into Lacson’s allegations.

But the First Gentleman has repeatedly denied the charges. He submitted his signature to a handwriting analysis and urged Lacson to file a lawsuit so he could disprove the allegations in court, where Lacson is not covered by congressional immunity.

Lacson said he preferred to have the accusations probed by his fellow senators and instead presented Mahusay to journalists at an undisclosed location in a "clandestine" press conference.

Both the First Gentleman and Defensor stood as principal sponsors during Mahusay’s wedding in 1997.

At the press conference, Mahusay, a former employee of the First Gentleman’s law office, claimed he witnessed Mr. Arroyo sign bank documents under the name Jose Pidal and, on occasion, even withdrew or deposited money to or from the accounts on Mr. Arroyo’s orders.

But less than 24 hours later, Mahusay changed his tune and asked for forgiveness from Ninang (Godmother) Gloria.

The Abduction Angle

Lacson’s spokesman Lito Banayo said the Arroyo camp resorted to the drastic measure of "abducting" Mahusay because the First Gentleman was afraid of being charged with the capital crime of plunder.

Lacson himself said that Mahusay was not being held against his will.

"Clearly, the witness was a free man. He was not held against his will. The morning he was abducted, he was talking to his wife on his cellular phone. The conversation took so long that agents of the Incredible Hulk were able to locate him," Lacson said, referring to the First Gentleman.

"We put him in our protective custody only more than a week ago, before I delivered my ‘Incredible Hulk’ privilege speech, to prevent him from being harassed. Before that, he was free," Lacson said.

"He went to our office voluntarily and volunteered information about corruption and money laundering against Mr. Arroyo. We evaluated him and the evidence in his possession and we found him and the evidence credible," said the former police chief.

"Even if he retracts, his affidavit, the various pieces of evidence he has given us and other documents in our possession are enough to prove our case against the Incredible Hulk," Lacson said.