The case under adjudication stemmed from Lacson's refusal to pay Smith & Wesson the final 15% balance for handcuffs ordered by the PNP (Philippine National Police) through Blanquita Pelaez, a Filipina-American business woman. Lacson may have known that the balance he was withholding was Ms. Pelaez's 15% commission from Smith & Wesson. Unless it was paid, Pelaez would not get her commission. And all that was needed to release the funds was Lacson's signature. According to Rodel Rodis, Pelaez's attorney "Lacson contacted Blanquita and arranged to meet with her at the Sugi Restaurant in the Greenhills section of Metro Manila. At the meeting, Lacson offered to approve the payment of the balance if Blanquita were to agree to file charges against the 123 PNP officers who had signed off on the Smith & Wesson contract." It was an offer no principled individual could accept. And to Lacson's dismay, Balnquita Pelaez refused his offer and instead demanded the balance due her without any strings attached. In a sad testament to Philippine jurisprudence, when Ms. Pelaez first thought of filing charges against Lacson, in the Philippines, she was told that he was too powerful and any suit she filed would likely go nowhere. Thank goodness that the handcuffs purchased were US-made and Smith & Wesson was an American company. This opened-up a US venue for seeking justice. Otherwise Blanquita would have had to "throw in the towel" just as scores of other litigants have had to do when faced with a rich and powerful opponent in a Philippine court. This all brings us back to September 7, 2005 when Lacson was supposed to appear in the Alameda courthouse of Judge Miller to answer questions from Pelaez's lawyer Rodel Rodis. Instead Lacson and his supporters chose to pay $37,000.00 out of their own pockets to settle the lawsuit. Why the sudden change of heart? We'll look into that next week. Part II continues next week If you like what Philippine NewsLink is doing and agree with what it has to say. Show your support and make a small donation. Click on the "APPROVED" button below to use PayPal.
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week or so before the September 7, 2005 deadline set by Alameda County
Superior Court Judge Barbara Miller was to expire, Philippine
presidential "wannabe" and current administration destabilizer Panfilo
"Ping" Lacson and his team had already set in motion the plans to put an
end to his required appearance for an OEX (Order of Examination) hearing
in her court.
Judge
Miller had already had issued a bench warrant for Lacson this past
August however, she agreed to withhold its enforcement until
September 7, to give the Philippine Senator one last opportunity to 
