Lucio Tan’s brother cites harassment

Lucio Tan’s brother cites harassment
By Nancy C. Carvajal
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 19:12:00 08/27/2009

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20090827-222288/Lucio-Tans-brother-cites-harassment


MANILA, Philippines -- The criminal complaint filed by a former housemaid against the brother of tycoon Lucio Tan, Mariano Tanenglian, is meant to harass him for offering to testify against his sibling, Tanenglian's lawyer told the Inquirer on Thursday.

"The charges are part of a bigger picture and meant to discredit my client for volunteering to testify against his brother Lucio, over a government case,'' lawyer Raymundo Quiroz said in a telephone interview.

Quiroz explained that the case against his client and his family started to surface after Tanenglian communicated with the PCGG and the Office of the Solicitor General and offered to testify against Lucio Tan.

He said the letter was submitted to the two offices on July 18, 2009.

"Someone bigger, powerful and influential is behind the charges, because how can a maid who already signed a quit claim and received money would continue to mount a case?'' the lawyer said.

He said his client was asking for immunity from suit in exchange for his testimony against his brother.

"We sent our press statement to the media offices, including the PCIJ, but nothing has come out. We know that Lucio has the power to pull out advertisements,'' he said.
He also denied reports that Mary Jane Sollano, the maid who accused his clients of maltreatment, serious illegal detention, slavery and frustrated homicide was not rescued by the police.

"The maid was not rescued by the police, but was turned over by my client to the father and uncle in the presence of the barangay leader,'' Quiroz said.

He added that he had yet to see the complaints filed at the Department of Justice against his client by Sollano.

Media Blitz: Maids v.s. Mariano Tanenglian

A disgruntled informant close to the Lucio Tan camp has come forward with some information about the recent media blitz about the complaints of maids from the household of Mariano Tanenglian against the Tanenglian family.

It appears that members of the Lucio Tan camp, in fact, close relatives of the Tan’s, were instrumental in bribing the maids’ family, members and officials of the law and worse of all redeemed journals to publish defaming stories to discredit Mariano in order to demoralize him from furthering his claim to his shares of the Lucio Tan Group of Companies he helped found. “Lahat ng sinulat dini sa diyaryo, lahat niyan sila sila sa mga kamaganak ni kapitan (Lucio Tan) ang nagtulak, malaking salapi ang nabayad sa abugado, sa pulisya, sa mga mayari ng diayryo!”, the informant mentioned.

When asked for proof, the informant just said, “ibasa mo lang ng ibasa ang mga sinulat, malalaman mo na kung sino sino ang nasa likod ng mga ito, mga walang kaluluwa ang mga eto, pati kaluluwa ko binili rin.” Pointing to the articles without elaboration, the informant indicated several paragraphs in the articles that are either inconsistent, erroneous or just plain fabrication.

“Noon, mahal na mahal ko ang pamilya ni kapitan, maganda ang buhay ko, pero lang nadiri ako sa mga ginagawa nila kay Mariano, puro peke, ngayon ko lang nakita ang pagkapeke ng mga ito. Nakakasira ng konsiyensya!” The informant complained. It was further added that the informant was also paid off to keep silent about the on-goings of the Lucio Tan family. “Noon, binayaran din ako upang matahimik lang. Malaking salapi, napasaya ako. Ayaw ni kapitan na malaman ng mga tao dini na ang mga anak niya, nakapatay ng ilang mga kapwa mamamayan, ayan ang dahilan bakit ang mga ito ay nasibat sa iba’t ibang bansa noon.”

As this information alights, we are lead to believe that members of the Lucio Tan camp are fabricating stories of great exaggeration and instigating incidents to vilify and attenuate Mariano and his family. Are these stories leaked to the Filipino media credible? Or are they further proof that Lucio Tan has indeed paid off members of the public and the media to manipulate the feud that he and his brother Mariano has into his favor? Are the pro-Lucio publications credible?

The informant also said before he left in grief, “Kung kilala mo lang ang mga pamilya ni kapitan, masisira na ang kaluluwa mo. Noon sa pera ako ngumingiti, ngayon naghihingi ako ng paumanhin sa Diyos dahil sa aking mga nagawa para kay kapitan.”

Most likely, Mariano only has to answer to the charges and complaints against him in the corrupt courts of our beloved Philippines. Lucio Tan and members of his camp, on the other hand, have to confess their sins and beg for forgiveness from their conscience, country, humanity and God.

The articles in question are posted here for your inspection.

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http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20090811-219816/Tycoons-brother-faces-maltreatment-raps

Tycoon’s brother faces maltreatment raps

By Tetch Torres
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 20:55:00 08/11/2009

MANILA, Philippines – A criminal complaint will be filed against the brother of tycoon Lucio Tan for alleged maltreatment of his maid.

Mary Jane Sollano, 18, was rescued by combined elements of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Quezon City.

The victim, through lawyer Melanie Trinidad, said she would file a case for illegal detention and abuses she suffered from Mariano Taneglian in the last five years.

Sollano, native of Pagadian City, Zamboanga Del Sur is undergoing treatment for trauma following her rescue last August 10 from the Tanenglian residence at No. 30 Biak na Bato St., Sto. Domingo, Quezon City.

Sollano, a native of Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur, is set to undergo a battery of physical, emotional and psychological tests.

“She will execute her sworn statement and complaint before police authorities. Despite the waiver that Sollano, her father and her brothers were told to sign by Tanenglian’s lawyer as a condition for her release, the Sollanos are bent on filing charges to seek justice for the illegal detention and maltreatment she suffered,” Trinidad said.

Sollano, who was employed while still in her early teens at the Tanenglian household, allegedly suffered five years of physical, emotional and psychological abuse in the hands of Tanenglian’s wife Aleta and their two children. She claims that she was neither allowed to leave the residence nor communicate with relatives and was often left with nothing to eat. She didn’t even know what date it was, the lawyer said.

Sollano’s parents, fearing that their daughter was dead, only learned of her whereabouts from a fellow maid, identified as Aljane Bacanto, who escaped the Tanenglian household recently.

Sollano’s father then sought the help of provincemates and private lawyers who then brought them to the CHR to seek assistance from authorities.

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http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNews.htm?f=/2009/august/12/news1.isx&d=2009/august/12

Lucio Tan feud worsens; cops raid brother’s home

12 August 2009

THE feud between taipan Lucio Tan and his brother Mariano Tanenglian has taken a turn for the worse, with the Commission on Human Rights, accompanied by a squad of policemen, raiding the Tanenglian house on Monday ostensibly to rescue a housemaid.

The housemaid, Mary Jane Sollano, 18, has suffered five years of abuse at the hands of Tanenglian’s wife Aleta and their two children, in addition to being left in the sprawling house often without food, according to Lucio Tan’s lawyer Anna Marie Trinidad.

Tanenglian’s lawyer, Raymundo Quiroz, denied that there had been any raid.

“Nobody entered the house. There was a group of men across the street, maybe waiting for any incident that never happened,” Quiroz said, refusing to elaborate.

The Tanenglian couple were apparently not in the house on Biak-na-Bato Street in Quezon City during the alleged raid, An unidentified Rights Commission official reportedly was with an official from the Social Welfare Department, in addition to a team from the Quezon City police.

Tan, who lives in the same Biak-na-Bato compound, was in Hong Kong during the raid, according to a family member.

“We will file before the Department of Justice the necessary criminal charges against her employers,” Trinidad said in an e-mailed statement.

Trinidad said Sollano, a native of Pagadian City, started working for the Tanenglians when she was 14. All those years, the maid was not allowed to leave the house or to communicate with relatives.

“They often left her with nothing to eat, and she often did not know what day of the week it was.”

Trinidad claimed that a Tanenglian lawyer made Sollano, her father and brothers sign a waiver before the maid was eventually released. But the Sollanos were determined to file illegal detention and mistreatment charges against her employers, she said.

Sollano’s parents had feared that their daughter was dead, and they only learned of where she was through Aljane Bacanto, a fellow maid who escaped the Tanenglian household recently, Trinidad said.

Sollano’s father then sought the help of neighbors and private lawyers, who brought them to the Commission on Human Rights.

Sollano and her parents had a tearful reunion after five years of being separated, Trinidad said.

The feud between Tan, who is turning 75 tomorrow, and Tanenglian, 69, erupted in public in February after Tanenglian, then an Allied Bank director and treasurer, was prevented from entering the Allied Bank Center in Makati.

In retaliation, Tanenglian filed a criminal complaint against the Allied Bank guards and leaked out negative stories in the Chinese media, prompting Tan to drop his brother from the directorships in Philippine National Bank, Eton Properties and other publicly-listed Tan companies.

Rey E. Requejo

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http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20090821-221281/2-maids-file-complaint-vs-Tan-brother

2 maids file complaint vs Tan brother

Victims cry maltreatment, nonpayment of salaries

By Nancy C. Carvajal
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:33:00 08/21/2009

MANILA, Philippines — Two former housemaids of the businessman-brother of tycoon Lucio Tan Thursday filed a complaint against Mariano Tanenglian and his family, alleging that they were maltreated and detained against their will.

“They filed their complaint against the Tanenglian family for maltreatment and illegal detention and were accompanied by a lawyer,” said Police Officer 3 Marilou Salanap, Women’s Desk investigator of the QCPD Station 1 in La Loma, Quezon City.

Salanap said Mary Jane Sollano, 18, from Zamboanga del Sur, and Aljane Bacanto, 19, from Leyte did not give other details.

According to Al Pareno, the victims’ lawyer, the subjects of the complaint were Mariano, his wife, Aleta, and their two children, Marvin and Fayette.

Sollano was rescued by the Commission on Human Rights and police from Tanenglian’s house in Biak na Bato, Quezon City on Aug. 10, following Bacanto’s escape earlier.

A police report showed that Sollano’s father accepted P150,000 from Tanenglian in exchange for a signed document saying they would not pursue and participate in a case filed against Tanenglian.

But Pareno said the waiver signed by Sollano’s father had no bearing on the complaint filed against Tanenglian.

“The compromise agreement is different from the complaints of the victims,” the lawyer said. The complaints indicated that Sollano, who said she was employed by the Tanenglian family for five years, was maltreated by the family, just like Bacanto, who stayed with the family for three years. Both also claimed they were not paid for their work and were not allowed to leave the house nor communicate with relatives.

The two are now under the care of Kaisa Foundation which helps women who have been victims of violence.

Inquirer tried but failed to reach Tanenglian for comment.

欲加之罪 何患無辭: Having No Lack of Pretext for Accusations

欲加之罪 何患無辭

Having no lack of pretext for accusations

“Never in a million years would I have thought that Mariano would be treating me this way”. This is the latest quip of the Taipan, Lucio Tan when he meets friends and associates.

Quite interesting indeed! 50 years ago, both brothers rose from their impoverished lives to build what is now the Lucio Tan Group of Companies. For 50 years, Mariano held the reigns of the treasury to make the ‘Empire’ prosper. In the words of Dr. Lucio Tan himself, “Mariano has never been greedy nor deceitful”, going so far as to admitting this fact to local media. For 50 years, Mariano has been someone loyal to Dr. Tan, fighting for him and always being on his side.

All of a sudden, Mariano has become the mad-eyed bull charging the ‘matador’, the person who embezzled tens of billions of pesos from LTGC. Then, reports came that Mariano was going to act as a witness against Dr. Tan in the ill-gotten wealth case between the government and Lucio Tan. Never in a million years! People would never have imagined that this has happened. It has indeed become a ‘ghostly legend’ for those who are amongst us, living today.

People have just begun to realize that Mariano has been stripped of his official powers as treasurer for a period of a little more than 2 years from the day that Mariano was barred by six armed guards from entering the premises of the Allied Bank building in Makati City where he took office.

In those years that Mariano has ceased to function as treasurer, Dr. Tan has been slowly influenced by his ‘pet’ officials and countless mistresses into being an irrational person. Forever pushing his late mother’s dying wish beneath his consciousness. He has followed the tactics of age-old Emperors to discredit his loyal ‘ministers’. First, accusations are made, then, official powers are stripped, followed by false rumors spread through the media... forcing the ‘minister’ to become a vermin scurrying down city streets, hiding from those that attacks him. In the end, you have wished death upon your ‘minister’. Then, you thank the gods?!

Mariano has had no official powers for more than 2 years now. How could the current losses of the company be pinned on him?! This fault should be blamed on those who have mishandled finances when Mariano was no longer in power to strictly watch the ins and outs of the company’s finances. For 50 years, you and Mariano have battled the odds together. You, Dr. Tan, would prefer to give the shares you and Mariano hold to the Marcoses, rather than giving a single cent to Mariano; slowly forcing your blood feud into its current state.

Mariano, offer no more defenses! Otherwise, more false accusations would be hurled at you. People all over have offered their opinions against the injustice done to you. The media has been bought and censored by Dr. Tan because of you. Your good friends and colleagues are afraid for your persecution. Lucio has even painted you as being disloyal and unkind for agreeing to testify against him in court.

The saying goes: To kill ten thousand is to lose three thousand. No battle is ever won without loss at both sides. Dr. Lucio Tan has degraded himself in the eyes of the public because of the current blood feud. Dr. Tan, can you ever forgive yourself and face your own conscience? Can you face your late mother and father in their graves? If you are not afraid of the netherworld, how can you be afraid of the courts of this earth?

We all know that your might, power and wealth can buy anything in this world. The truth is that you have no lack of pretext to make accusations.

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「睏一百醒」也沒想到永年會這樣對付我。這是最近陳大班見人便訴的話。是啊，耐人尋味:一個從小就 和他一起艱苦奮門，歷經50年，從無到有，從小到大，到如今造就了商業帝國的弟弟;一個50年來掌財門神，不貪不取 (陳大班不久前還在媒體面前肯定過的 話) ;一個50年來唯唯諾諾，唯兄長之命是從的人， 在一些人的口中瞬間幾乎成為紅了眼睛的鬥牛; 忽然變為竊取公司幾十個「B」; 突然紛紛傳出居然要向政府作證陳氏集團財產與前總統馬科斯的淵源......。這也是 大多數人想一百年也難以置信的現代最大「聊齋」「封神榜」。

自從數月前在馬加地聯盟銀行大廈外面， 6個保安荷槍實彈阻擋股東兼董事局副主席進入開始，人們才知 道陳永年已經停權兩年之久了，事態的演變朝著陳大班在一班寵臣的挑撥離間下，特別是眾多姬妾的讒言搬弄下，越來越失去理智，越來越將慈母遺訓置於腦後，用歷代帝王誅殺功臣之手段發展， 即: 先製造罪名，繼剝奪權利，再輿論抹黑， 讓其成為過街老鼠。最後賜死，你還得「謝聖恩」。

陳永年，早已沒有權力卻必須為公司虧本負責; 嚴厲把守公司財門卻必須為得志小人 (得罪過的) 背十字 架; 50年一起拼搏打下的江山，倆人擁有的公司股權比例占90%的陳大班居然揚言寧可給馬科斯家族，也分文不給陳永年，一步步逼其於絕地。而且你陳永年不得作絲毫辯解，否則，罪名加重，即使是路見不平的人說幾句公道話，也是你的唆使，更別說媒體因你而受抵制摧殘 ;舊同事好朋友為你而遭迫害。連欲向政府作證的新聞也成為陳大班塑造一個不忠不孝，不仁不義之人的拿手花招。俗言: 殺人一萬，自損三千。這次的兄弟鬩牆，你陳大班在人們眼中的地位也一落千丈，倘若你自信對得起天地良心，以後有顏面見父母于泉下，就是森羅殿見證閻羅天子都不必怕，更何況陽間區區的政府。其實大家都知道你是有翻雲覆雨， 指鹿為馬之能耐的。正是: 欲加之罪，何患無辭。