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 n Philippine NewsLink's September, 2005
editorial, we speculated that the three co-conspirators of indicted
spies
 Michael Rey Aquino and Leandro Aragoncillo
would be Panfilo Lacson, Francisco Tatad, and Joseph Estrada. At that
time the US government refused to release the names of the three
co-accused fanning the flames of speculation the world over.
INQ7 has now
indicated that FBI indictments are being prepared against Panfilo
Lacson, Joseph Estrada, and his son
Jinggoy Estrada. The US government has mounds of evidence indicating
that the Estradas, with the help of Lacson, funded the US spying
campaign of Michael Rey Aquino and Leandro Aragoncillo. If convicted,
the accused could face anywhere from 15 years to life in Federal Prison.
Although the US and
the Philippines have an extradition treaty, it would be difficult to
extradite any of the three anytime soon.
 Joseph
Estrada cannot be extradited until after his plunder case with the
Sandiganbayan is resolved and any sentence served. Lacson and Jinggoy
are "sitting" Philippine Senators and cannot be extradited until after
their terms expire.
However, GMA and her administration, who were after all the targets of
these underhanded tactics have the ability to facilitate or hinder the
indictment process against the three. We would like to see the threat of
US extradition and possible jail time in Federal Prison dangled in front
of Lacson and the Estradas in order to get to the bottom of the many
pending and unresolved cases that involve them.
Should Gloria Arroyo fail to use these US
indictments to bring justice to the Filipino people, then like Cory Aquino
before her, she would have squandered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
to give the Filipinos what they put their lives on the line for in EDSA
One and Two: Justice!
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