MANILA, Philippines – The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), a religious sect often praised for its unity and solidarity, faced a major crisis in 2015. 

Its more-than-a-century existence has been tainted with allegations of corruption and family battles. (READ: Revolt in the Iglesia ni Cristo)

INC executive minister Eduardo Manalo expelled his brother Felix Nathaniel “Angel” Manalo and his mother Cristina from the powerful church after they claimed their lives were in danger. (READ: Iglesia ni Cristo head expels mother, brother).

Aside from the Manalo family, several ministers have also been expelled after accusing the Iglesia leadership of corruption.

There have been claims that expulsion – also called "tiwalag" – is the worst thing to happen to an INC member. It could mean that the expelled member can no longer be "saved" or even lose benefits that come with membership in the church.

But what does the process of expulsion entail? Rappler answers some important questions:

1. What are the grounds for expulsion from the INC?

Just like other organizations and religious groups, the INC has a set of doctrines and responsibilities which members are expected to follow. These responsibilities include regularly attending worship services and obeying 27 doctrines, among others.

Members are also prohibited from marrying a non-member and joining labor unions. (INFOGRAPHIC: What you should know about the Iglesia ni Cristo)

If they do not abide by the set of rules, they can be expelled from the church through its council, the Sanggunian. However, they would have to go through a rigorous process that mirrors the government-like structure of the Iglesia. (READ: The lure of Iglesia: Recruitment and the perks)

 2. What does the expulsion process entail?

When an INC member is deemed to have not followed the doctrines, it is expected that the leaders will exhaust all means to resolve the issue. A "katiwala" or overseer will visit the member in question to advise and guide him through the ordeal. He will also be given a chance to defend himself and reflect on his actions.

However, if changes in the member are not seen, the katiwala will have to issue a formal report which includes all the details of the doctrine violations. The report is deliberated upon by the local INC leaders.

Church leaders and the concerned member have to talk in person about the issue. Once all details are proven to be factual and not just based on hearsay, the report is sent to the Central office where another round of investigation happens.

According to an INC source, it could sometimes take years before a final decision is reached since the office has to carefully decide and determine whether there is still another option other than expulsion.

While the process in ongoing, however, a member can still attend church services and participate in other activities.

3. What happens when a member is expelled from the INC?

When the expulsion decision is finalized, the member's name is removed from the official INC roster. An INC source also told Rappler the names of those recently expelled are immediately announced during the following church service.

Expelled members likewise cannot attend Iglesia-related activities. In some cases, they are barred from speaking with other INC members.

4. Can expelled members still return to the INC?

Yes, expelled INC members can, provided they undergo a process called “balik loob”.

This process requires them to go to worship services regularly and to prove they can accept and follow the Iglesia doctrines and repent for their sins.

As in expulsion, the final decision lies in the hands of the INC Central once the expelled members have fulfilled all the requirements – some cases include, according to an INC source, writing an essay to prove worthiness of being accepted again.

Deviation from the past?

What the INC Sanggunian did to some members of the Manalo family, however, was different from the “meticulous and sacred” process of expulsion, according to former INC minister Lowell Menorca II, who was himself expelled.

“The expulsion process of the Iglesia Ni Cristo used to be a sacred and meticulous process,” he told Rappler. “In short, the Church is supposed to exhaust all options to save a brother or a sister from expulsion; it is always the last resort.”

He claims that the “long established process” of the INC has been neglected as the church leaders now “expel at will” without prior investigation as required.

He likened the “express expulsion” to a summary expulsion. There was “no love, no compassion, not an ounce of consideration” for those who have been expelled.

Besides himself, some siblings and the mother of Eduardo Manalo, the former Pasugo editor in chief Isaias Samson Jr was also expelled.

“Some of those whom the elders took the time to talk to were threatened, not counseled,” Menorca said. “Any act devoid of due process as dictated by the Bible is not in keeping with the doctrine and therefore, not acceptable to God," he added.

Meanwhile, “Antonio Ebangelista”, a pseudonym of an Iglesia member critical of Sanggunian leaders, said in a blog post that the sole reason they were removed from the INC was their criticism of the alleged corruption within the powerful church. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines—What explains Vice President Jejomar Binay’s stunning climb back to the top of pre-election polls? 

In early December, two surveys showed him to be leading the pack of presidential candidates. This, after his numbers had tumbled following allegations of corruption involving billions of pesos, pulling him down to the third slot.

Mon Ilagan, spokesman of opposition presidential candidate Binay, says “immersion” with the people and constant dialogues have pushed the vice president back to the top. His key message, Ilagan points out, is: poverty is the main problem, not corruption, and economic growth, touted as a stellar achievement of the Aquino administration, is not felt by the poor.

Ilagan, who frequently joins Binay in his provincial visits, answers questions from Rappler editor at large Marites Dañguilan Vitug about the ins and outs of the campaign. This is part of a series of podcast interviews with key people behind the campaign of presidential candidates.

Listen to Inside Track and send us your feedback. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – During a regular review of annulment cases, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) noticed something unusual. Courts in certain areas were issuing a large number of annulment decrees: in Imus, Cavite, Paniqui, Tarlac and as far as Cotabato, Mindanao. 

“There are too many cases for such rural places. Are there that many people getting annulments there?” remarked Noel Segovia, OSG senior prosecutor.

As the designated “defender of the marital bond,” the OSG is charged with representing the state’s interest in protecting marriage as the basic family institution in annulment cases. The OSG also acts as the data repository of all annulment cases in the country. (SEE: INFOGRAPHIC: How to get annulled)

It was not only the OSG that was troubled by the numbers. The Supreme Court looked into some of these cases and confirmed the complicity of judges and court personnel in issuing annulment decrees in bulk.

In a Paniqui, Tarlac court under Judge Liberty Castañeda, the Supreme Court conducted a judicial audit or investigation “prompted by reports that Branch 67 is fast becoming a haven for couples” who want to sever marital ties.

A first investigation was conducted in October 2008. The judicial audit team found that out of the 1,123 total cases in Castañeda’s court, 73% involved nullity of marriage, annulment and legal separation. (SEE: EXPLAINER: Untying the marriage knot 101 on the differences between nullity of marriage, annulment and legal separation)

That was just the beginning of a long list of anomalies. How can a single-sala court (one that hears both criminal and civil cases) churn out a large volume of annulment cases?

The answers lay in the initial judicial audit’s findings of “blatant irregularities” in the decisions for nullity of marriage: 

• Most of the parties in the annulment petitions were not actual residents of the areas under the territorial jurisdiction of Branch 67: Paniqui, Anao, Moncada and San Miguel, all in Tarlac.
• A number of the addresses of petitioners in the court documents were incomplete or vague, some were handwritten, typewritten or superimposed on blanks. Some were left completely blank.
• Most of the psychologists' reports were “pro forma” or followed a template and were mere photocopies. In some cases, the psychologists did not even testify in court.

(The full report may be accessed here.) 

Moreover, some of the parties involved in the cases also raised the issue of improper venue.

One particular case cited in the Court documents named a certain Lea Borrero-Benaid who wrote a letter to the Chief Justice about a petition for nullity of marriage filed by her husband.

Borrero-Benaid declared that neither she nor her husband are residents of Tarlac, that she never received a court summons informing her of the proceedings, and that she had never met the psychologist whose report declaring her psychologically incapacitated was submitted as evidence. She further claimed that she had not undergone any psychological test of any kind.

Overzealousness

The Court noted that at the time of the audit, Castañeda granted 175 cases involving nullity or annulment of marriage and legal separation with “extraordinary speed and overzealousness” and “reprehensible haste.” In one instance, 11 cases were decided between a period of 16 days to 4 months from the date of their filing.  

As a result of these findings, Castañeda was placed on preventive suspension in November 2009.

In her defense, Castañeda denied that she failed to comply with the rules on nullity of marriage. She claimed that her predecessor left her a huge caseload apart from “rickety typewriters, limited office supplies and lack of personnel.”  

She asserted that it is not the duty of the court to verify details like the addresses of the parties involved in an annulment proceeding. She insisted she checked all decisions she had rendered and blamed the court staff for improper documentation of cases.

For instance, Castañeda blamed her clerk-in-charge for forgetting to attach court orders requiring collusion investigations. (Annulment cases require an investigation of non-collusion between the two parties. The husband and wife are not supposed to agree to end their marriage.)

On petitioners' absence during pre-trials without a special power of attorney allowing their lawyers to represent them, Castañeda said that either the lawyers forgot to sign the minutes or the staff forgot to ask them to sign.

Similarly, the clerk of court, Paulino Saguyod, passed the blame for the miserable state of record keeping and the dismal condition of the office premises to his staff.

In March 2010, Castañeda wrote the Court saying that she had answered all their questions and that any lapses on documentation were the fault of her staff and not hers. She reported back to work without waiting for the Court’s reply and without a clear directive lifting her temporary suspension.

More than one decision a day

Back on the bench, Castañeda lost no time in granting annulment cases. Her preventive suspension did not curb the zealousness the Court had earlier noted in her handing out of decisions.

In 2010 Castañeda granted a total of 410 petitions of nullity or annulment of marriage or legal separation. These translate to about 34 annulment decrees per month or more than one annulment decision per day which was physically impossible.

Two years later, in October 2012, the Court found Castañeda guilty of dishonesty, incompetence, and ignorance of the law and procedure.

In its decision, the Court tagged “as most disturbing and scandalous of her infractions was the haste which she disposed of cases” and pointed out that “her reprehensible haste with which she granted petitions for nullity of marriage, annulment and legal separation despite non-compliance with appropriate rules and evident irregularities” was an indication of her utter lack of competence and grave abuse of authority.

As evidence, the Supreme Court cited cases that would usually be submitted for decision within a month from the filing of the petition and decided as quickly as two months, not allowing enough time for the required legal processes in an annulment proceeding such as testimonies of witnesses and lead time required for parties to respond to court summons.

Castañeda was ordered dismissed from the service with forfeiture of all retirement benefits. Her clerk of court, Saguyod, was suspended for 6 months for failing to perform his duty to supervise orderly management of court records. Other members of the court were fined P5,000 each for neglect of duties. ­ – Rappler.com

(To be continued: Part 2: Cotabato court issues spurious annulment documents)

This story is part of the series, “The annulment business”, on annulment mills and annulment scams. Reporting for this project was supported with a grant from the Journalism for Nation Building Foundation.

(READ: Part 1: The annulment business)

(SEE: EXPLAINER: Untying the marriage knot 101)

(SEE: INFOGRAPHIC: How to get annulled)

MANILA, Philippines – The number of annulment cases coming out of a Cotabato Regional Trial Court (RTC) raised eyebrows at the civil registry in Quezon City as well as the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG).

The annulled cases were found to have been from the sala of Judge Cader Indar.

“We've been receiving 2 to 5 decrees on annulment and nullity of marriage decrees a month,” said Ramon Matabang, chief of the civil registry in Quezon City, referring to the volume of court decisions issued by Indar.

Matabang wondered, “How can a particular sala handle those many cases?”

The process is such that once an annulment decision is released by the court, the party who filed the case must present the documents to the local civil registry where the deciding court is located. The local civil registry then conducts a verification process to authenticate the signatures on the court documents based on specimen signatures it has on file.

A copy of the decision is then sent to the civil registry where the marriage took place. If the marriage ceremony was concluded in Quezon City, but the court proceedings were done in Cotabato, the civil registry offices in both cities would each get a copy of the decision.

It is only when the court decision is verified that the civil registry annotates the original marriage certificate to reflect the annulment and updates the party’s civil status.

Indar presided over a single-sala court. Unlike a designated Family Court tasked to handle domestic relations like annulments, adoption and inheritance, a single-sala court handles criminal and civil cases.

Discrepancies

Matabang also noticed a number of discrepancies in the court decisions: the stated address where the marriage was consummated did not match court documents; there was no address for the petitioner indicating lack of jurisdiction of the court to handle the case; and the details of the court documents had an alarming similarity.

“It was like they just filled in the blanks, they [the documents] were all the same. Only the names were changed,” Matabang said.

He consulted the civil registry in Manila and found that they, too, were receiving a large number of annulment cases from Indar’s court.

Matabang brought the matter to the Supreme Court which ordered an investigation of Indar, who was the presiding judge of RTC Branch 14 in Cotabato City and acting presiding judge of RTC Branch 15 in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao.

Non-existent cases

The SC’s Office of the Court Administrator (OCA), which supervises lower courts, conducted a judicial audit of RTC Branch 15 and found that the list of cases submitted by the civil registrars of Manila and Quezon City did not appear in the records of cases, whether pending or decided.

The audit team noted that the case numbers in the list submitted by the civil registrars were not recorded in the docket books of either RTC Shariff Aguak or RTC Cotabato. Further verification of the RTC records showed that no actual court proceedings had taken place.

The audit team also checked an inquiry made by the Australian embassy in Manila verifying an annulment decision Indar made in May 2007.

In cases where a previously married Filipino applies for a fiancée visa, a copy of the annulment decision is among the requirements submitted to confirm that the applicant is free to marry. Embassies usually verify the submitted annulment documents by making a written inquiry to the court that issued the decision. 

Indar issued a response to the Australian embassy 3 years later, in March 2010, explaining that his court is a court of general jurisdiction and could thus decide on family relations cases. He verified his decision as valid and declared the client free to marry. 

However, this was among the cases that did not exist in the record of the RTC’s cases.

In May 2010, the Supreme Court placed Indar on preventive suspension and issued a first notice of hearing for Indar to present his explanation. Several notices were sent to his court and residence but these went unreceived by him.

Finally, Umaima Silongan, the RTC clerk of court, was ordered to serve notice to Indar. Silongan notified the court that Indar had left Cotabato in April 2010 and his whereabouts were unknown.

Too many, too fast

Eric dela Rosa, legal supervisor of the Manila civil registry, showed us a sample list of the court decrees issued by Indar.

In October 2009, Indar issued 9 annulment decisions or about two per week. (In the interest of privacy and confidentiality, names of litigants and civil case numbers are excluded from the table that lists cases handled by Indar.)

The frequency was likened to making a regular trip to the grocery.

Indar dismissed

In September 2011, Judge George Jabido*, appointed as acting presiding judge of Shariff Aguak, verified the annulment decisions. Jabido* reported that:

• There was no record on file of all the enumerated cases in the list presented by the civil registrar offices of Manila and Quezon City.
• There was no evidence that Indar had conducted hearings of these cases.
• There was no proof that verified petitions were officially filed in writing giving the respondents a chance to reply. 

In its decision, the court agreed with the findings of the judicial audit that “Indar made it appear that annulment cases underwent trial when records show that no judicial proceedings occurred” and found Indar guilty of gross misconduct and dishonesty.

Apart from the anomalies in the court proceedings, the audit team cited Indar’s letter to the Australian embassy declaring his annulment decision as valid and clearing the client to marry, as “highlighting Judge Indar’s appalling dishonesty.”

The audit team also pointed out the following:

• There are apparently decisions of cases which are spurious, as these did not pass through the regular process such as filing, payment of docket fees, trial, etc which are now circulating and being registered in local civil registrars throughout the country, the extent of which is anybody’s guess.
• There is a possibility that more of this (sic) spurious documents may appear and cause damage to the court’s integrity. 

Indar was dismissed from service. All benefits (with the exception of accrued leave benefits) due him were forfeited. He was barred from re-employment in any branch of government, including government-owned or controlled corporations. Additionally, Indar was disbarred and his name stricken from the roll of attorneys. (READ the decision here.)

The Court ordered that copies of the decision be forwarded to the local civil registrars of the City of Manila and Quezon City “to form part of the records of Decisions of Judge Indar on the annulment of marriages filed with their offices.”

But it gave no clear directive on the resolution of the annulment cases that were decided by Indar but found to have irregularities.

The Manila and Quezon City civil registrars have suspended annotation of annulment decrees issued by Indar.

“If people follow up on their annotated marriage certificate, we advise them that they have to go to the court where their decision was issued. The presiding judge at that court will then review the case,” said Manila’s Dela Rosa. – Rappler.com 

(LISTEN: A story of love and loss. A man speaks out about his painful experience in love.)

(To be continued: Part 3: Cavite: Haven for paid-for annulments?)

This story is part of the series, “The annulment business”, on annulment mills and annulment scams. Reporting for this project was supported with a grant from the Journalism for Nation Building Foundation.

*Editor's Note: In an earlier version of this story, Judge Jabido's name was misspelled as Jubido. This has been corrected.

(READ: Part 1: The annulment business)

(READ: Part 2: Cotabato court issues spurious annulment documents)

(READ: Part 3: Cavite: Haven for paid-for annulments?)

MANILA, Philippines – Evelyn* had all the makings of a good life. She and Tony*, her college sweetheart, had gotten married just as everyone predicted they would. They were starting a family and building a home together.

“May anak kami, may yaya. Pareho kaming may trabaho. May hinuhulugan kami na bahay, kumpleto gamit namin. Kumpleto lahat,” she recalled.

(We had a child, we had a nanny. We both had careers. We were paying for our house, it had everything we needed. Everything was complete.)

Evelyn could not ask for anything more. The third party, she said, was totally unexpected.

Tony seemed to be spending less time at home, but he blamed that on work, not on his unhappiness.

There was no fighting. No physical abuse. Tony had fallen in love with someone else and did not want to be married to her anymore.

Evelyn could not accept that reason – not without a fight. Evelyn fought to keep her marriage intact and her family together.

“Hinabol ko. Nagmakaawa ako. Lahat talaga ginawa ko para ma-save 'yung marriage,” she said. (I ran after him. I begged him. I did everything I could to save the marriage.)

It seemed that the more she ran after him, the more she chased him away.

Tony was unfeeling and detached, humiliating her attempts to win him back. He had his mind set on starting a new life abroad, with his new partner who was already pregnant.

The one-sided rescue mission she waged took its toll. Evelyn lost friends, lost weight and a little bit of herself.

“Yung personality mo, mawawala. Yung self-confidence mo, wasak. Kasi yung mismong pinagkakatiwalaan mong asawa mo na poprotekta, siya pa yung nagsisira sa ’yo.”

(You lose your personality. Your self-confidence is trampled. The husband I believed would protect me was the one who ruined me.)

Other things began to crumble. With Tony no longer paying for his share of the mortgage payments, Evelyn had to give up their house. It was either the house or their child’s tuition.

Their child was 3 years old when Tony left them. The first time their child heard her Daddy’s voice, she was in high school, when she found him online and made contact with him.

From what Evelyn heard, Tony has made a new life for himself in another country. He and his partner have a home and two kids. He is living the life Evelyn has always wanted.

Tony has moved on while Evelyn is still where she was more than 16 years ago when they separated. Still married – although only on paper – raising their child alone.

“Naipit kasi ako. Nakatali ako sa papel na yun.” (I was trapped. I am tied down by that piece of paper.)

Evelyn’s limbo is imposed and guaranteed by legal impediments and financial constraints.

She cannot afford to get an annulment. Any possibility of financial reprieve through salary loans, housing loans and the like were denied her because loan documents require the signature of the husband as a co-borrower.

There were lost chances at starting a new life and reverting to her maiden name.

To both her and Tony, it is clear – it has been 16 years and 7 months since they separated. Only a piece of paper says otherwise.

Below is the English transcript of Evelyn's recording above:

Hi, c’mon in. Here we are in my humble home. We’re here with my daughter, 19 years old. My one and only child. Thank god. Thank you, Lord, for giving me a loving, obedient child.

She was in high school when she first heard her father’s voice. “So that’s what my father sounds like,” she told me. Then I remembered, she wasn’t even 3 years old yet when he left us.

Our separation was really unexpected. Everything was fine. We were both working, we had a child, a nanny, a home that was complete. But then…a third party came along.

When he met her, I still tried to find a way. I tried to do everything I could to save the marriage. But he was already decided. He didn’t want to try anymore.

He was going to go abroad and he was going to bring the woman with him.

It was so hard but I forced myself to survive. I put my kid through school (by myself), I don’t know how I was able to do it. I was so thin. It was such a sacrifice. I was so down. You lose your sense of being. Your self-confidence is trampled on. The husband I believed would protect me was the one who ruined me.

How many years has it been since we separated? 16 years and 7 months. That’s a very long time. There were many wasted opportunities because I was tied down to that marriage, that piece of paper.

There came a time when I needed a salary loan for my daughter’s tuition and when she got sick a lot. A salary loan requires a husband’s signature. Then there were housing loans, I tried to get one of those, too. But I was still married. The husband’s signature is needed, but what if you’re separated?

Another thing with my situation is up to now, I still carry his last name. Even if I wanted to change my last name, I can’t because we remain married on paper. And actually, I want to change my name. It’s been more than 16 years since we’ve separated. Why do I still need to carry his last name? I take care of my reputation, my family and my daughter who also carries his last name, but he doesn’t care about us anymore. It’s painful on my part. We’ve been separated for so long but up to now, I still carry his last name.

Not everyone who is separated like me can file for an annulment because it is so expensive and it takes so long. We don’t have the financial capacity. I’m employed, I have a high position but I still can’t afford it. With all the other expenses, I can’t sacrifice other things just so I can pay attorney’s fees of P200,000-P300,000.

And there’s no assurance that the annulment will be granted. What if it is not granted? You would have just thrown away money.

Now, I just want to be free. I want to be free from that marriage. Because no one cares. No one wants that marriage that took place more than 16 years ago. But I’m stuck here. I’ve been left alone.

If I could get a divorce, things would definitely be better for me. I could have my own relationship, have my own family. My dream to have a partner in life can come true. That’s important to people. Especially with my personality and character, I want a partner in life, a husband I can lean on, a complete family. That’s the way I am. – Rappler.com

*Names of respondents have been changed.

This story is part of the series, “The annulment business”, on annulment mills and annulment scams. Reporting for this project was supported with a grant from the Journalism for Nation Building Foundation.

(READ: Part 1: The annulment business)

(READ: Part 2: Cotabato court issues spurious annulment documents)

(READ: Part 3: Cavite: Haven for paid-for annulments?)

MANILA, Philippines – The volume of bogus court decisions spilling into civil registry offices triggered the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA, formerly known as the National Statistics Office) to issue guidelines on verification, registration and cancellation of annotated and registered civil registry documents that were later linked to fake court decisions.

The usual process is this: once an annulment decision is issued by the court, the petitioner must submit this to the PSA to signal a change in status and an updating of the petitioner’s civil registry files. The PSA will then issue an annotated marriage certificate with details of the annulment proceedings on the right-hand side.

This annotated marriage certificate is the document that is required for most government transactions like getting a passport, applying for a fiancée visa or reverting to one’s maiden name.

But before the PSA issues an annotated marriage certificate, they first verify that the court documents are real.

In the memo, the PSA required all civil registrars to verify the authenticity of the court orders due to the “increasing number of court decisions” they have been receiving.

The memorandum was issued in August 2012, around the time when the Supreme Court issued its decisions on Judges Cader Indar and Liberty Castañeda. 

Part of the memo reads:

“Fake court decisions/orders as stated are considered void and spurious which should not be entitled to the respect accorded to a valid order. A void judgment is in legal effect no judgment, by which no rights are divested, from which no rights can be obtained, which neither binds nor bonds anyone, and all acts performed pursuant to it and all claims emanating from it have no legal effect.”

The steps for a verification process are enumerated as well as the procedure for handling of a fake court decision already registered and annotated in the civil registry documents. In case of the latter, the concerned civil registrar shall advise the client to file a petition for the cancellation of the registered court decision/order in court.

The civil registrar general will automatically cancel and void the annotated civil registry document in its database.

“There are so many fake documents. There was a time when among 100 cases that we verified, only maybe 5 were correct,” said Aurelia Alido, registration officer of the PSA court decrees and legal instruments division.

Fake decrees

Alido’s cubicle is stacked chest-high with various civil registry files. She removes a file on top and shows it to us as a sample of an annulment decree issued in a Pasig RTC that was found to be fake. Upon verification, the civil case number was assigned to another case and re-used for the annulment decision.

The PSA has identified certain provincial courts like Malolos Bulacan, Sta Cruz, Laguna, and Balesteros, Cagayan as “hot spots”  because of the large volume of cases coming from these parts.

“It’s a double burden for us and for the people,” said Alido. “There are those who come here, crying. They did not know their spouse tried to secure an annulment. Others find out they are still married.”

“We call the courts to make sure that the decision is authentic. We ensure that it has a civil case number and thus registered in court dockets and that the judge actually issued the decision,” said Alido.

“If we find the case does not exist or the judge did not sign the court decision, we do not issue an annotated marriage certificate,” she added.

Other times, the verification comes from another source. Foreign embassies verify fiancée visa applications directly with the PSA, which again checks the transaction code of the civil registry documents presented.

Aware of the rampant forgery of documents and many falling prey to persistent sweet-talking fixers, the PSA urges the public to deal only with certified PSA officers. They may also countercheck the authenticity of civil registry documents presented to them by their lawyers or fixers who offered to handle their papers by securing their own copy directly from the PSA. 

A copy of an annotated marriage certificate may be requested through the 24-hour NSO or PSA Hotline, the NSO/PSA website, or at any SM Business Center located in SM malls.

The PSA also has a regular radio program, “Census Serbilis” on dzRB ng Bayan which runs every Saturday from 6:30 am to 7:30 am where civil registry officials answer common questions about legalities and the civil registry process. – Ana P. Santos and Riziel Cabreros/Rappler.com

This story is part of the series, “The annulment business”, on annulment mills and annulment scams. Reporting for this project was supported with a grant from the Journalism for Nation Building Foundation.

(READ: Part 1: The annulment business)

(READ: Part 2: Cotabato court issues spurious annulment documents)

MANILA, Philippines – It all started with a woman known as “Myra”, a fixer who connected parties together for paid annulments.

In 2002, Myra linked Wilmer Salazar to Susan Limeta. Myra knew Salazar was looking for a lawyer to file for nullity of his marriage. 

Limeta was a legal researcher in an Imus Regional Trial Court (RTC) under Judge Lucenito Tagle. Through the referral made by Myra, an agreement between Salazar and Limeta was made.

For P130,000, Limeta would arrange for her lawyer-uncle to handle his case and he would get a decision within 3 months. A 50% downpayment was made and the case was set in motion – or so Salazar thought.

When 3 months passed and nothing happened, Salazar confronted Tagle directly. Tagle ordered that Salazar and Limeta settle the matter in his chambers.

Limeta denied guaranteeing Salazar an annulment; the payment she accepted was for lawyer’s fees. And she only agreed to take on the case because Salazar “cried and begged for help”.

Salazar’s annulment was decided in June 2003, 9 months after the petition was filed and 6 months later than what Limeta had promised. He demanded that part of his money be returned. Grudgingly, Limeta agreed to return the money.

Salazar filed a case of misconduct against Limeta with the Supreme Court.

“Undoubtedly, Limeta received money. Even if it were to pay for the lawyer, she should not have taken it as Salazar could have paid the lawyer directly. The fact that she had referred her uncle cast further suspicion on Limeta,” read the Court’s decision.

Judge Norberto Quisumbing, who was ordered to investigate the case, said in an interview: “Even if she referred another lawyer, another court outside of her own, it is improper. She is an officer of the court.”

The Court agreed. As written in its decision, “Although every office in the government service is a public trust, no position exacts a greater demand for moral righteousness and uprightness than the judiciary.”

Limeta was suspended for 1 year for gross misconduct and admonished with a "stern warning" that a similar act would be dealt with more severely. (READ the full decision here.)

Second complaint

In 2004, another complaint against Limeta surfaced. This one was closer to home; it was filed by her cousin who purportedly paid Limeta P35,000 as a 50% downpayment to look for a lawyer who could arrange her court documents.

The year before, Bernalette Ramos, a first cousin of Limeta, was looking for a lawyer to handle her annulment case. Her mother suggested getting Limeta’s help. Limeta asked for P70,000 to arrange for a lawyer to fix the initial documents.

Time passed and nothing happened, but word about Limeta’s services spread. Carissa Sosa, a family friend of Ramos, said that Limeta had also asked her and another friend for P70,000 to facilitate their annulment cases.

Ramos was alarmed and angered. Similar to what happened between Salazar and Limeta, another confrontation ensued in Tagle’s chambers. Ramos came prepared. She brought with her a lawyer who acted as her witness.

By this time, Tagle was not surprised by the accusations. A furious Limeta agreed to return the money. Ramos demanded that Limeta sign a promissory note but she refused. Limeta stormed out of the judge’s chambers, leaving the matter unresolved.

Family feud

Ramos’ annulment case stalled, leading her to conclude that Limeta used the money for herself.

Ramos filed a complaint against Limeta with a bevy of charges: graft and corruption, gross misconduct and conduct unbecoming of a government employee.

In October 2004, the Court gave Limeta a chance to respond to the charges. In February 2006, Limeta filed a formal response denying she received money from Ramos. She countered that Ramos was out to harass and humiliate her because of a family dispute over land ownership.

The Court noted that this was not Limeta’s first offense.

Considering the testimonies of Ramos and lawyer Emily Alio-Geluz, who acted as Ramos’ witness during the confrontation, the Court ruled in November 2010 that “in the case of contradictory declarations, positive testimonies carry greater weight than mere denials.”

The Court found Limeta guilty of grave misconduct. She was dismissed from service. (READ the full decision here.)

The whereabouts of Limeta are unknown. She presumably still lives in Imus, in a barangay behind the Church, court employees informed us. We paid a visit to the barangay hall and asked barangay secretary Ed Malutong for any residency records of Limeta. A search of the barangay residents’ logbook showed no such name.

Other employees of the RTC remember Limeta as a single mom and someone who was “chatty and friendly, would engage everyone in conversation” and did not seem the type to con people. 

Extortion and detention

Another case involves Rosalie Maranan who, when detained at the Imus city jail in 2009, called lawyer Renante Bihasa to come to her aid.

Maranan, a court stenographer at the Imus RTC Branch 20, had been apprehended as a result of a “sting operation”, an entrapment conducted by the Imus police. Maranan was allegedly accepting money to facilitate the annulment case of a certain Ella Bartolome.

It was close to 5 pm when Bihasa arrived at the city jail, the end of office hours. It was decided that Maranan was to be detained pending further investigation.

Bihasa returned the next day, accompanied by Judge Fernando Felicen, the presiding judge in the Imus court where Maranan worked. Felicen interceded and asked that Maranan be allowed to go home.

The sting operation

The entrapment was staged by the Imus police after Bartolome filed a complaint of extortion against Maranan.

By Bartolome’s account, Maranan had asked for P160,000 (driven down from an original amount of P200,000) to facilitate her annulment case. For that amount, Maranan, who flaunted her clout with the fiscal and the judge, guaranteed a decision in her favor without Bartolome having to appear in court.  

The entrapment operation was documented in pictures which supposedly showed Maranan accepting money. (READ details in the court document here.)

Other court sources say that annulment cases are rife in Imus, and Maranan could not have acted alone.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one court source said that Imus RTC Branch 20, where Felicen was presiding judge, was getting 4 to 5 annulment cases filed by lawyers Bihasa and Samson Villanueva every week.

“It was like an industry,” said our court source.

When called, Bihasa refused to comment.

Villanueva, on other other hand, denied there were voluminous annulment cases filed in Felicen’s court. He admitted knowing Maranan, though.

Dismissed

At the Imus RTC, there are no records of a criminal case filed by Bartolome against Maranan. Bartolome may not have pursued legal action against Maranan, but she did file a complaint with the Supreme Court Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) in December 2009, one month after Maranan was detained.

As evidence, Bartolome submitted transcriptions of SMS messages she exchanged with Maranan, a VCD with pictures of the entrapment operation and an electronic file of the psychiatric evaluation that she was asked by Maranan to fill up.

Maranan denied the allegations, calling them baseless harassment, claiming that Bartolome was a fictitious name.

The Court conducted its own investigation and concluded that Maranan’s claim was “preposterous”. The Court found Maranan guilty of grave misconduct and dismissed her from the service in 2014.

The judge

Maranan was known to have envelopes of cash sent to Felicen.

In an interview, Felicen denied any knowledge of Maranan’s activities, but admitted that he went to the precinct when Maranan was detained. “When I learned she was detained, I went there to assist her, to verify what happened. It’s only normal for a superior to assist a subordinate. It should not be misunderstood as intervening…”

We showed him the Court’s decision to dismiss Maranan which contained details of the SMS exchange between Maranan and Bartolome.

In particular, we pointed out messages where Maranan stated, “Kakausapin ko muna si Judge kung tatanggap pa kami.” (I will talk to Judge first if we can still accept your case.”) (READ the court document with SMS details here.)

“That does not say my name. That is not me,” said Felicen. He inferred that Maranan may have referred a lawyer, and even if she was “moonlighting” and getting a commission for doing so, there was nothing wrong with that.

Felicen declined to comment on the reputation of Imus courts as “friendly”, where annulment decisions could be negotiated and bought.

“We are not soliciting cases for annulment. They are filed and raffled to us. We decide on the case according to its merits,” he said. 

Tips for services

One court officer said there was nothing wrong with judges receiving gifts or token cash as “tips for services rendered.” This is what happened in the case of Tonette (not her real name) who, when she decided to file for annulment, did not think anything of it when her lawyer asked her to allocate a budget for the judge’s “professional fee”.

Tonette had been separated from her husband for years. He was already living in another country and she had barely spoken to him. It was a marriage that existed only on paper and Tonette wanted formal papers to end it.

Her lawyer, a family friend, took on her case and filed it in Imus, Cavite under Judge Cesar Mangrobang, whom he said, was an old law-school buddy.

Tonette paid her lawyer a total of P450,000 of which P100,000 allegedly went to Mangrobang. Her lawyer delivered on his promise: she only had to appear in court once and got her annulment in 6 months.

Mangrobang could not be reached for comment. As of this writing, we were able to confirm he is confined in a hospital due to a lingering illness.

But professional fees, common or not, are still wrong. (For estimates of legitimate fees, READ: Breaking up is hard to do...and expensive too) 

“You do not pay a judge. The government pays for his salary,” said Quisumbing, administrative judge at the Imus RTC. In his position as administrative judge, Quisumbing was tasked by the OCA to investigate the cases of Limeta and Maranan.

In 2012, the Court considered the result of an audit and physical inventory of cases involving annulment and other similar family cases as an administrative complaint against the judges of RTC branches 20, 21 and 22 in Imus and branch 90 of Dasmariñas: Cesar Mangrobang, Fernando Felicen, ironically Norberto Quisumbing himself, and Perla Cabrera-Faller.

Members of their courts were also included in the complaint.  

Felicen availed himself of early retirement in 2014, while Mangrobang was confined in a hospital. Quisumbing and Faller continue to hold court in Imus. 

The case is still pending. – Rappler.com

(LISTEN: Outsourcing your heartbreak. Some people would kill to get out of a bad marriage or hire a hit man to do it. Listen to the interview or READ: End a miserable marriage? Hire a hit man?) 

(To be continued: Part 4: Bribery in annulment mills) 

This story is part of the series, “The annulment business”, on annulment mills and annulment scams. Reporting for this project was supported with a grant from the Journalism for Nation Building Foundation.

(READ: Part 1: The annulment business)

(READ: Part 2: Cotabato court issues spurious annulment documents)

(READ: Part 3: Cavite: Haven for paid-for annulments?)

(READ: Part 4: Bribery in annulment mills)

MANILA, Philippines – “Puwede ba ‘yun hugutin? (Can it be pulled out?)” is a question often asked about marriage certificates. Hugot, meaning pulling out a marriage certificate from civil registry files, deleting it, and pretending the marriage never happened.

In the Facebook page of Pro-Divorce Philippines, a 5,400-plus-strong group of men and women advocating divorce, this is a common question. A number of similar groups like Divorce for the Philippines, Now!, Divorce Advocates in the Philippines, and Pro-Divorce Misamis Oriental also exist on Facebook.

For fixers, these pages have become virtual hunting grounds for those looking for quick remedies that will make every sordid memory of a bad marriage go away – like hugot.

The answer is no.

“You cannot pull out or delete marriage certificates. Everything is digital now and stored in a database,” said Aurora Reolalas, chief of the Philippine Statistical Authority or PSA’s vital statistics division.

“All civil registry documents and transactions are recorded in a database and assigned a unique transaction code. We can trace the transaction back to the person named in the documents based on this transaction code.”

Marion Ngo Gui had allegedly sent private messages to some in Pro-Divorce Philippines, saying that a contact inside the National Statistics Office (now PSA) could pull out marriage certificates for a fee of P65,000.

One of the members said that Marion offered the hugot service to her and attached screen shots of her SMS exchange.

Upon recent checking, the Facebook profile of Marion Ngo Gui no longer exists.

Another member shared a similar experience. She paid P30,000 to someone who claimed to be an NSO officer to erase her marriage certificate.

The two members were approached by two different people who promised the same thing: they knew someone “on the inside” who could delete the marriage certificates from the database. The deletion is supposedly done at night when no one is watching.

Reolalas said the database server is housed in a different area and only a handful of PSA officials have security access to the records at a level that would allow editing or deletion: “I don’t even have access at that level.” – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Just like in previous years, 2015 is not spared from some high-profile aviation tragedies.

Among the plane accidents reported this year are the Hercules C-130 transport plane crash in Indonesia, the Russian airliner accident in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, and a crash in South Sudan just right after the plane took off. (READ: World's deadliest aviation disasters)

But despite these reports, aviation in 2015 – with only a few days remaining – is safer compared to past years.

Statistics reveal that there are less plane mishaps in 2015. For one, the preliminary report of the Aviation Safety Network (ASN) reveals that as of December 26, this year has recorded only 16 fatal aviation accidents – the lowest since 1942.

The ASN is a private initiative that "covers accidents and safety issues with regards to airliners, military transport planes, and corporate jets," according to its website.

Out of this 16 accidents, only 7 are passenger flights.

“Given the expected worldwide air traffic of 34,000,000 flights, the accident rate is one fatal passenger flight accident per 4,857,000 flights,” according to the ASN report.

In terms of fatalities, 2015 remains relatively safer as it has registered, so far, the 5th lowest figure since 1942.

The same trend applies to the Philippine setting, as data from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) reveals similar findings.

The database of CAAP– updated as of October 2015 – shows that there are less aviation accidents and incidents this year. 

The plane accidents recorded in the country in 2015 include the small plane carrying some Cabinet officials that skidded off the wet runway of Tacloban airport, and the Philippine Air Force trainer aircraft that crashed off the coast of Batangas, both in January.

“Since 1997 the average number of airliner accidents has shown a steady and persistent decline, for a great deal thanks to the continuing safety-driven efforts by international aviation organizations,” ASN president Harro Ranter explained. – Rappler.com

(READ: Part 1: The annulment business)

(READ: Part 2: Cotabato court issues spurious annulment documents)

(READ: Part 3: Cavite: Haven for paid-for annulments?)

MANILA, Philippines – Bribery and corruption in so-called “annulment mills” have been reported in a number of courts.

In 2008, then Chief Justice Reynato Puno received a letter from a group calling itself “Trial Lawyers of Cagayan”. They alleged that Judge Lyliha Aquino of Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 4 in Tuguegarao City asked for P150,000 per case to hear an adoption case, annulment case, or nullity of marriage case.

The letter also cited certain attorneys as being favored by Aquino, saying that cases under these lawyers were all “lutong Macau” or rigged.

The Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) found that Aquino heard and decided 41 annulment cases from June 2003 to January 2009. These cases were all decided without a non-collusion report and pre-trial.

(In an annulment proceeding, a pre-trial is required to record evidence that is to be presented to the court. A non-collusion investigation is required to make sure that the husband and wife do not agree to end their marriage.)

Aquino admitted that she proceeded to try some cases despite non-compliance with certain requirements but denied that she did not order non-collusion investigations. In its November 2012 decision, the Court found that Aquino “did not act in bad faith, malice and caused no harm to any litigant” and decided to impose a fine of P10,000 along with a stern warning that a repetition of similar acts would be dealt with more severely.

The Court report was silent on corruption but ordered further investigation. (READ the court document here.)

Close-open cases in Olongapo

In 2009, Judge Renato Dilag of Olongapo City was accused of collecting between P30,000 to P40,000 in exchange for a favorable decision on annulment cases. Two anonymous letters to the Supreme Court asserted that Dilag would initially dismiss an annulment case then re-open it and grant a favorable decision when payment was made.

However, the administrative charges of graft and corruption were dismissed because these were “not sufficiently established” and Dilag was punished based on violations of the judicial code of conduct.

Dilag was dismissed from service for gross misconduct, ignorance of the law and negligence and inefficiency.

Court stenographer Concepcion Pascua, the named fee collector, was also dismissed from service, her retirement benefits were forfeited and she was perpetually disqualified from government reemployment. (READ the full decision here.)

Most recently, in 2015, Alan Flores, presiding judge of Tubod, Lanao del Norte RTC Branch 7 was found guilty of gross ignorance of the law and misconduct and dismissed from service.

The investigation of Flores was triggered by an anonymous letter accusing Flores of rendering favorable annulment decisions in exchange for money. Another complaint-affidavit penned by prosecutor Diosdado Cabrera alleged that Flores rendered favorable annulment decisions on numerous cases even if the parties did not reside in an area within his court’s territorial jurisdiction, also in exchange for money. Flores was purportedly employing the services of errand boys to collect his fees. (READ the court document here.)

Rooted practice

The beginnings of the annulment mills can be traced before this millennium.

It was in November 2000 when Emil Jurado, writing in the Manila Standard, identified an RTC in Guagua, Pampanga as “using syndicated efforts involving court personnel and a public assistance lawyer in the improper disposal of annulment cases” in the 1990s.

A court insider who spoke on the condition of anonymity remembered those days.

“Many of the court officers were involved,” said our source.

Like the annulment mills of this millennium, there are several similarities: decisions are copy-pasted, addresses of petitioners are not within the jurisdiction of the province of Pampanga and decisions are quickly issued.

“Novel-style became a fad,” said our source. Court stenographers, ears trained and sharpened in hearing the testimonies of petitioners about their bad marriages, would grab portions from various cases and draft a “testimony”.

“Then they would cut and paste. With those many cases, why make up a story for each one of them?” the court officer said, referring to template testimonies.

For example, in 1999, prosecutor Vivian Dabu filed a case against Judge Eduardo Roden Kapunan of RTC Branch 51 in Guagua. Included in her complaint were court stenographers Leila Gallo and Ma. Theresa Cortez and legal researcher Suzette Tiongco. 

Dabu had just transferred to Branch 51 and was baffled as to why she was not being called on to investigate annulment cases. Dabu’s own investigation revealed that records were being falsified to show that prosecutors had appeared during hearings when in fact they had been re-assigned to another court or were on leave.

Kapunan denied the charges, saying his signature on the annulment cases was forged and that Galo acted on her own in falsifying annulment decisions.

A look at the inventory of annulment cases under Kapunan for the period 1994-2000 showed that cases were decided in as fast as 3 to 4 weeks. 

In 2011, the Court declared the case against Kapunan as moot because of his untimely demise. Kapunan died of cardiac arrest in 2001. Galo was found guilty of falsification of official documents and dishonesty while Tiongco was exonerated. (READ the full decision here.)

Intolerant of ‘irregularities’

“Definitely, we are not tolerating these kinds of irregularities. We cannot allow these,” said a ranking Supreme Court official who requested not to be named. “We get letters or complaints [about certain courts] and act on these provided there is some evidence provided.”

Some complaints are from parties themselves who “get the surprise of their lives that their marriages are annulled without them knowing.”

“There are some enterprising court personnel but they can only do so much unless it known to the judge because the buck stops with the judge. Everybody [in the court] has a role to play so if the judge allows some shenanigans in his court then that means he’s aware of that,” the Court official said. (READ: Gov't warning: Make sure annulment documents are real)

Just like in court, everyone has a role in the system that is riddled with irregularities. He added: “It’s not entirely our courts or our personnel who should be blamed because the parties themselves mislead the courts and unfortunately our lawyers have taught them how to go about it.” – Rappler.com

(Also, LISTEN to: Marital purgatory, an interview with a woman who remains married only on paper. )

(To be continued: Part 5: Annulment scam)

This story is part of the series, “The annulment business”, on annulment mills and annulment scams. Reporting for this project was supported with a grant from the Journalism for Nation Building Foundation.

(READ: Part 1: The annulment business)

(READ: Part 2: Cotabato court issues spurious annulment documents)

(READ: Part 3: Cavite: Haven for paid-for annulments?)

(READ: Part 4: Bribery in annulment mills)

(READ: PART 5: Annulment scam)

(READ: Part 6: Recto: Certified fake)

MANILA, Philippines – What do numbers from the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) show about the state of marital affairs in the country?

Since 2001, the number of annulment and nullity cases filed has been increasing. The latest available figures for the current year showed there were already more than 6,000 cases filed; the number of cases in 2015 will most likely exceed the number filed in the previous year.

Type of petition filed

Based on the OSG's random sampling of cases filed in 2012, a large majority of the cases for dissolution of marriage were for nullity of marriage. This was followed by annulment, while a mere 1% filed for legal separation. Other grounds for dissolution of marriage included presumptive death, recognition of divorce and absence.

Who filed?

The OSG's sampling of 2013 data showed that more females initiate the filing of annulment or nullity proceedings. There is no specific profession that dominates the list of those filing for annulment. Business people, employees, school teachers, OFWs.There is no available data on income bracket of respondents.

A random sampling of 2008 cases revealed that the petitioners were between the ages of 21-25 and had been married between 1-5 years.

On the other hand, a look by the OSG at selected data from 2010 and 2011 cases showed that 82% of the couples had children.

Number of petitions granted, denied or dismissed

Also based on randomly selected data from 2010 and 2011, 94% of the cases filed were granted, while 6% were denied or dismissed by the court.

– Rappler.com  

Source: Office of the Solicitor General

MANILA, Philippines – From bigwigs in politics and the government to personalities in sports and the media, and from plain folks to "high-value targets," many notable newsmakers passed away in 2015.

Let's remember their life and times through the gallery below. Click on the photos to read more about them. (RELATED: In memoriam: PH stars who died in 2015)

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<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/A436EF1476164068A9DA67548A48830A/rene-adad-rappler-04242015_A436EF1476164068A9DA67548A48830A.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Apr 24, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/sports/by-sport/football/91074-rene-adad-dies-philippine-football'>Rene Adad, 86</a></strong><br />He led the inauguration in 1983 of the Coke-Go-For-Goal program in the country, and gave Philippine football a major lift."><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/A436EF1476164068A9DA67548A48830A/rene-adad-rappler-04242015_A436EF1476164068A9DA67548A48830A.jpg" title="Rene Adad, 86"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/3CF7252AFB40428BBB00004390CE684E/rosito-coach-andaya-20150729_3CF7252AFB40428BBB00004390CE684E.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Jul 29, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/sports/university/100938-legendary-track-field-rosito-andaya-dies'>Rosito Andaya, 77</a></strong><br />He was the legendary track and field coach who trained a long list of Asian and national champions, from Elma Muros to Christopher Ulboc."><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/3CF7252AFB40428BBB00004390CE684E/rosito-coach-andaya-20150729_3CF7252AFB40428BBB00004390CE684E.jpg" title="Rosito Andaya, 77"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/36D966429E3F47568EFFCB46B98278F1/butz-aquino-20150817_36D966429E3F47568EFFCB46B98278F1.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Aug 17, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/103106-senate-mass-honor-butz-aquino'>Butz Aquino, 76</a></strong><br />An uncle of President Aquino, the former senator and Makati representative founded the August Twenty-One Movement or ATOM shortly after the assassination of his brother, Ninoy Aquino."><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/36D966429E3F47568EFFCB46B98278F1/butz-aquino-20150817_36D966429E3F47568EFFCB46B98278F1.jpg" title="Butz Aquino, 76"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://static.rappler.com/images/joker-arroyo-201310012.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Oct 5, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/108363-joker-arroyo-dies'>Joker Arroyo, 88</a></strong><br />Known as the Scrooge of the Senate for his minimal expenditures, he was also a former representative of Makati."><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://static.rappler.com/images/joker-arroyo-201310012.jpg" title="Joker Arroyo, 88"></div></a></div>
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<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/640405EB654D4406A5C3095C3E286363/jim-ayson-20151110-a_640405EB654D4406A5C3095C3E286363.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Nov 9, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/technology/news/112302-jim-ayson-internet-pioneer-dies'>Jim Ayson, 53</a></strong><br />He is widely recognized as among the pioneers of the Internet in the Philippines. Photo from Ayson's LinkedIn profile "><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/640405EB654D4406A5C3095C3E286363/jim-ayson-20151110-a_640405EB654D4406A5C3095C3E286363.jpg" title="Jim Ayson, 53"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/EF5F84404F9A4CE3B5A51A6E48A7428B/jolly-benitez-20150913_EF5F84404F9A4CE3B5A51A6E48A7428B.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Sep 13, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/105711-jolly-benitez-dies-71'>Jose Conrado Benitez, 71</a></strong><br />He was the former deputy minister of human settlements under the Marcos regime."><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/EF5F84404F9A4CE3B5A51A6E48A7428B/jolly-benitez-20150913_EF5F84404F9A4CE3B5A51A6E48A7428B.jpg" title="Jose Conrado Benitez, 71"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/D46F7F9382584D718920C64254297BA4/broce.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Dec 18, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/sports/by-sport/football/116610-florentino-broce-dies'>Florentino Broce, 72</a></strong><br />He was a former De La Salle University winger who coached the Philippines' Kasibulan national football program. Photo from dlsaa.com"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/D46F7F9382584D718920C64254297BA4/broce.jpg" title="Florentino Broce, 72"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/B0EF4EF560014342B507639B55E1A4AC/ali-cali-20150816_B0EF4EF560014342B507639B55E1A4AC.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Aug 16, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/sports/by-sport/other-sports/102773-mma-fighter-ale-cali-shot-dead-davao'>Ale Cali, 25</a></strong><br />The MMA fighter was shot dead in Davao City due to either a personal grudge or road rage. Photo from Cali's Facebook account"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/B0EF4EF560014342B507639B55E1A4AC/ali-cali-20150816_B0EF4EF560014342B507639B55E1A4AC.jpg" title="Ale Cali, 25"></div></a></div>
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<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/635176FBB90C4D2C814E280F3AA9110E/enrique-cojuangco-20150512.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="May 12, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/92933-tarlac-congressman-enrique-cojuangco-dies'>Enrique Cojuangco, 74</a></strong><br />The uncle of President Benigno Aquino III, he was the representative of the 1st district of Tarlac. Photo from House of Representatives website"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/635176FBB90C4D2C814E280F3AA9110E/enrique-cojuangco-20150512.jpg" title="Enrique Cojuangco, 74"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://static.rappler.com/images/up-coach-ramil-cruz-rappler-03082015.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Mar 8, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/sports/university/uaap/up/86133-up-coach-ramil-cruz-dies'>Ramil Cruz, 48</a></strong><br />He was the technical director of the PBA and a former assistant coach of the UP Fighting Maroons basketball team."><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://static.rappler.com/images/up-coach-ramil-cruz-rappler-03082015.jpg" title="Ramil Cruz, 48"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/5B2E13E973514B3D94026974477891DE/langdulaycarousel_5B2E13E973514B3D94026974477891DE.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Apr 30, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/arts-and-culture/94745-lang-dulay-death-funeral'>Lang Dulay, 91</a></strong><br />A National Living Treasure awardee, she wove into T'nalak tapestry the stories of the Tboli people living near Lake Sebu in South Cotabato. Photo by Bobby Lagsa/Rappler"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/5B2E13E973514B3D94026974477891DE/langdulaycarousel_5B2E13E973514B3D94026974477891DE.jpg" title="Lang Dulay, 91"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/F42DD40926E542E2AF9C717281F8453E/lim-eng-beng-20151221_F42DD40926E542E2AF9C717281F8453E.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Dec 21, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/sports/by-sport/basketball/116670-la-salle-pba-great-beng-passes-away'>Lim Eng Beng, 64</a></strong><br />He was De La Salle University's star basketball player in the early 1970s who continued to be a game-changer in the PBA."><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/F42DD40926E542E2AF9C717281F8453E/lim-eng-beng-20151221_F42DD40926E542E2AF9C717281F8453E.jpg" title="Lim Eng Beng, 64"></div></a></div>
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<div class="row">
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/323F326DAD934E97B8C729649E5CE566/ernesto-estrada-20150517_323F326DAD934E97B8C729649E5CE566.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="May 17, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/sports/by-sport/basketball/pba/93502-ernesto-estrada-dies'>Ernesto Estrada, 65</a></strong><br />He was a court-savvy basketball player in the PBA, with a career spanning 1975 to 1982. Photo from Facebook"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/323F326DAD934E97B8C729649E5CE566/ernesto-estrada-20150517_323F326DAD934E97B8C729649E5CE566.jpg" title="Ernesto Estrada, 65"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/3CB65603DB8F4D049E8A1F918B918F1D/letran-knights-20150730_3CB65603DB8F4D049E8A1F918B918F1D.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Jul 1, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/sports/university/ncaa/101047-letran-augusto-fermin-dies'>Augusto Fermin, 68</a></strong><br />He was the workhorse of the Letran Knights team en route to their 1966 NCAA basketball championship. "><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/5C68BA4DCA974E5683E9091631143FEE/fermin.png" style="width: 100%;margin-left: 0%;" title="Augusto Fermin, 68"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/EA96F211E2E64BAC9CA6222AB599E047/edgardo-gomez_EA96F211E2E64BAC9CA6222AB599E047.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Oct 31, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/sports/by-sport/basketball/111607-edgardo-gomez-player-dead'>Edgardo Gomez, 73</a></strong><br />The Jose Rizal College player's shooting streak in one NCAA juniors basketball game in the 1960s gave him the tag 'Go-Go-Gomez.'"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" style="width: 100%;margin-left: 0%;" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/CF0E37293C8B4531A1C126327E1045D0/gomez.png" title="Edgardo Gomez, 73"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/83B07F61744A48DF820AF2E30624D0CF/ernesto-herrera-20151029_83B07F61744A48DF820AF2E30624D0CF.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Oct 29, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/111128-senator-ernesto-herrera-dies'>Ernesto Herrera, 73</a></strong><br />An advocate of labor rights, he was senator of the Philippines from 1987 to 1998 and had also served as Bohol representative. Screengrab from Global News Network video"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/83B07F61744A48DF820AF2E30624D0CF/ernesto-herrera-20151029_83B07F61744A48DF820AF2E30624D0CF.jpg" title="Ernesto Herrera, 73"></div></a></div>
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<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/CA230E2C0B8748ED8ECF3A009DA62237/junix-inocian-20150614_CA230E2C0B8748ED8ECF3A009DA62237.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Jun 13, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/entertainment/news/96299-junix-inocian-death'>Junix Inocian, 64</a></strong><br />A well-respected thespian, he was an original cast member of the musical Miss Saigon, where he played the Engineer. Photo from Inocian's Facebook page"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/CA230E2C0B8748ED8ECF3A009DA62237/junix-inocian-20150614_CA230E2C0B8748ED8ECF3A009DA62237.jpg" title="Junix Inocian, 64"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/C16321A920AD4AFD882287D6E2AA0E83/ron-jacobs-20151225_C16321A920AD4AFD882287D6E2AA0E83.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Dec 24, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/sports/by-sport/basketball/117065-ron-jacobs-ph-hoop'>Ron Jacobs, 72</a></strong><br />He was the American basketball coach who revolutionized Philippine basketball during the 80s and 90s. Photo from Jacobs' Facebook page"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/C16321A920AD4AFD882287D6E2AA0E83/ron-jacobs-20151225_C16321A920AD4AFD882287D6E2AA0E83.jpg" title="Ron Jacobs, 72"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/53F10883DB3041C69C715CF626BF9DF3/img/F0DC6521B77C4E96B82136069BB7DEB7/letty-jimenez-magsanoc-ruben-napales-001.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Dec 24, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/117033-inquirer-editor-chief-letty-jimenez-magsanoc-dead'>Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc, 74</a></strong><br />She was the long-time editor-in-chief of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Photo courtesy of Ruben Napales"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/53F10883DB3041C69C715CF626BF9DF3/img/F0DC6521B77C4E96B82136069BB7DEB7/letty-jimenez-magsanoc-ruben-napales-001.jpg" title="Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc, 74" style="margin-left: -11%;"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/CFBF0174935E4A479BA7F28C70C859DF/king.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Jul 5, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/98447-batangas-helicopter-crash'>Archimedes 'Archie' King, 62</a></strong><br />The CEO of Victoria Court motel chains died in a helicopter crash in Cuenca, Batangas. Photo from tycoon.ph"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/CFBF0174935E4A479BA7F28C70C859DF/king.jpg" title="Archimedes 'Archie' King, 62"></div></a></div>
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<div class="row">
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/F58249F4E2CE4807AADE56C50ACAC4A7/agbimmudin-kiram-20150113_F58249F4E2CE4807AADE56C50ACAC4A7.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Jan 13, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/80696-agbimuddin-kiram-dies'>Agbimuddin Kiram, 74</a></strong><br />He was the leader of the infamous standoff in Sabah in 2013."><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/F58249F4E2CE4807AADE56C50ACAC4A7/agbimmudin-kiram-20150113_F58249F4E2CE4807AADE56C50ACAC4A7.jpg" title="Agbimuddin Kiram, 74"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/0C11D3FCDC4A4226AF9E10A8ED844AAB/esmail-kiram-ii_0C11D3FCDC4A4226AF9E10A8ED844AAB.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Sep 19, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/106522-sulu-sultan-esmail-kiram-ii-dies'>Esmail Kiram II, 75</a></strong><br />He was the Sultan of Sulu at the time of his death. Photo by Rolex Dela Pena/EPA "><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/0C11D3FCDC4A4226AF9E10A8ED844AAB/esmail-kiram-ii_0C11D3FCDC4A4226AF9E10A8ED844AAB.jpg" title="Esmail Kiram II, 75"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/D1BFF942F1E744D88EB825DA04485BA0/img/E6CAE43DEFF447D7848B0D7C3AEAC1CA/pope-francis-philippines-moa-20150116-007_E6CAE43DEFF447D7848B0D7C3AEAC1CA.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Jan 23, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/specials/pope-francis-ph/81171-pope-francis-blessing-family-brandon-lao-ph'>Brandon Emmanuel Lao, 3</a></strong><br />Baby Brandon, suffering from multiple health problems, was among those blessed by Pope Francis during his visit to Manila in January."><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/D1BFF942F1E744D88EB825DA04485BA0/img/E6CAE43DEFF447D7848B0D7C3AEAC1CA/pope-francis-philippines-moa-20150116-007_E6CAE43DEFF447D7848B0D7C3AEAC1CA.jpg" title="Brandon Emmanuel Lao, 3"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/A591DDBBADFB4E4E9081D127E0516C09/domingo-lucenario-20150516-3.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="May 8, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/balikbayan/voices/94173-ambassador-lucenario-robredo-foreign-service'>Domingo Lucenario Jr, 54</a></strong><br />The Philippine ambassador to Pakistan, he died in a military helicopter crash in the South Asian country. Photo by Jay Directo/AFP"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/A591DDBBADFB4E4E9081D127E0516C09/domingo-lucenario-20150516-3.jpg" title="Domingo Lucenario, Jr, 54"></div></a></div>
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<div class="row">
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/3F677B40ADBD4F1DB53553152BE1142B/20150811-art-macapagal-newsbreak_3F677B40ADBD4F1DB53553152BE1142B.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Aug 11, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/102202-art-macapagal-gloria-arroyo-brother-dies'>Arturo Macapagal, 72</a></strong><br />He was the elder brother of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Photo from Newsbreak"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/3F677B40ADBD4F1DB53553152BE1142B/20150811-art-macapagal-newsbreak_3F677B40ADBD4F1DB53553152BE1142B.jpg" title="Arturo Macapagal, 72"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/0C27109D2913478D98C022B238CAC3C8/liam-madamba_0C27109D2913478D98C022B238CAC3C8.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Feb 6, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/previous-articles?filterMeta=Liam+Madamba'>Liam Madamba, 18</a></strong><br />A student of the British School Manila, he took his own life after a plagiarism incident. Screengrab from ABS-CBN video"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/0C27109D2913478D98C022B238CAC3C8/liam-madamba_0C27109D2913478D98C022B238CAC3C8.jpg" title="Liam Madamba, 18"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/5EB55DBB4A93496FAD1DDF00896788F3/dir-osias-2015516_5EB55DBB4A93496FAD1DDF00896788F3.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="May 16, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/93406-tomas-osias-population-commission'>Tomas Osias</a></strong><br />He is the longest-serving executive director of the Commission on Population (PopCom) and a champion of the reproductive health program. Photo from Osias' Facebook page"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/5EB55DBB4A93496FAD1DDF00896788F3/dir-osias-2015516_5EB55DBB4A93496FAD1DDF00896788F3.jpg" style="margin-top: -22%; margin-left: -50%" title="Tomas Osias"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/491D128CE08A4F6CB8EDFE1B9B1E163B/otaza-from-govph-480-002.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Oct 20, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/110980-mayor-dario-otaza-burial-lumad'>Dario Otaza</a></strong><br />The mayor of Loreto town in Agusan del Norte was abducted and later found dead in Butuan City. Photo from gov.ph"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/491D128CE08A4F6CB8EDFE1B9B1E163B/otaza-from-govph-480-002.jpg" title="Dario Otaza"></div></a></div>
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<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/897E8DA22B664CFCB679E6BB27A26289/padasas.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Jan 17, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/specials/pope-francis-ph/81217-kristel-padasas-pope-francis-death-yolanda-aid-worker'>Kristel Mae Padasas, 27</a></strong><br />She was a volunteer aid worker who died in an unfortunate accident during Pope Francis' visit to Tacloban City. Photo from adamson.edu.ph"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/897E8DA22B664CFCB679E6BB27A26289/padasas.jpg" title="Kristel Mae Padasas, 27"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/B2E1638B64AD48CCAFD10F7C40121DC0/20150819-panama-philippine-eagle_B2E1638B64AD48CCAFD10F7C40121DC0.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="August 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/science-nature/environment/103080-philippine-eagle-pamana-shot-mount-hamiguitan'>Pamana, 3</a></strong><br />The 3-year-old Philippine eagle was just released into the wild in June when it was found with a bullet hole in the right breast in Mount Hamiguitan, Davao Oriental. Photo by Pete Simpson"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/B2E1638B64AD48CCAFD10F7C40121DC0/20150819-panama-philippine-eagle_B2E1638B64AD48CCAFD10F7C40121DC0.jpg" title="Pamana, 3"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/66829B14F76A4D4BA5F2FC1AA03657B5/elmer-panotes-20150916_66829B14F76A4D4BA5F2FC1AA03657B5.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Sep 16, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/106090-camarines-norte-congressman-dies'>Elmer Panotes, 75</a></strong><br />He was the representative of the 2nd district of Camarines Norte. Photo from House of Representatives website"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/66829B14F76A4D4BA5F2FC1AA03657B5/elmer-panotes-20150916_66829B14F76A4D4BA5F2FC1AA03657B5.jpg" title="Elmer Panotes, 75"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/755FD8143F794F8C9D8ADC00B211B3C1/florenz-regalado-20150724_755FD8143F794F8C9D8ADC00B211B3C1.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Jul 24, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/100391-sc-justice-florenz-regalado-dies'>Florenz Regalado, 86</a></strong><br />He was an associate justice of the Supreme Court from 1988 to 1998. He still has the highest bar exam grade to date, at 96.7%."><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/755FD8143F794F8C9D8ADC00B211B3C1/florenz-regalado-20150724_755FD8143F794F8C9D8ADC00B211B3C1.jpg" title="Florenz Regalado, 86"></div></a></div>
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<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/5732BE5F905F41B5B189610259ABDCB5/rufo-001_5732BE5F905F41B5B189610259ABDCB5.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Sep 19, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/rich-media/106677-in-memoriam-aries-rufo-investigative-journalist-newsbreak'>Aries Rufo, 45</a></strong><br />He was the passionate Rappler senior investigative journalist who exposed irregularities and corruption in a wide variety of sectors, from the military, courts, legislature, and the Church."><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/5732BE5F905F41B5B189610259ABDCB5/rufo-001_5732BE5F905F41B5B189610259ABDCB5.jpg" title="Aries Rufo, 45"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/89C64C59AC18483396B848E4195FAC07/dennis-sabangan-20150629-001_89C64C59AC18483396B848E4195FAC07.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Jun 29, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/97857-dennis-sabangan-photo-journalist-41'>Dennis Sabangan, 41</a></strong><br />He was an esteemed European PressPhoto Agency photojournalist who had been in the thick and thin of news coverage, from football and festivals to war zones."><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/89C64C59AC18483396B848E4195FAC07/dennis-sabangan-20150629-001_89C64C59AC18483396B848E4195FAC07.jpg" title="Dennis Sabangan, 41"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/E0A0AA41AAEB4576BD1918FD0201F17D/fallen-44-at-villamor-copy_E0A0AA41AAEB4576BD1918FD0201F17D.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Jan 25, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/82286-pnp-saf-slain-maguindanao-clash'>The SAF 44</a></strong><br />They risked their lives on a dangerous mission in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, in pursuit of two 'high-value terrorist targets.' Photo courtesy of Philippine Air Force"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/E0A0AA41AAEB4576BD1918FD0201F17D/fallen-44-at-villamor-copy_E0A0AA41AAEB4576BD1918FD0201F17D.jpg" title="The SAF 44"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/21AEE8D2C6104BE7A57EEE1BBBACE9B8/antonio-santos-govph-20151230.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Oct 22, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.gov.ph/2015/10/23/the-late-director-santos-national-library/'>Antonio Santos</a></strong><br />He was the director of the National Library of the Philippines at the time of his death. Photo from gov.ph"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/21AEE8D2C6104BE7A57EEE1BBBACE9B8/antonio-santos-govph-20151230.jpg" title="Antonio Santos"></div></a></div>
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<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/E4E9E9C347224905A9F9520A0D3C0341/cj-servillon-jru-rappler-05252015_E4E9E9C347224905A9F9520A0D3C0341.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="May 24, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/sports/by-sport/basketball/94283-jru-cj-servillon-dies-filoil'>CJ Servillon, 17</a></strong><br />The young basketball player from the Jose Rizal University Light Bombers collapsed during a FilOil game against De La Salle Zobel and fell into a coma shortly after. Photo from Facebook"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/E4E9E9C347224905A9F9520A0D3C0341/cj-servillon-jru-rappler-05252015_E4E9E9C347224905A9F9520A0D3C0341.jpg" title="CJ Servillon, 17"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://static.rappler.com/images/Niel-Tupas-20151124%20(1).jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Nov 24, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/113847-iloilo-niel-tupas-sr-dies'>Niel Tupas Sr, 82</a></strong><br />He was a former governor and representative of Iloilo province."><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://static.rappler.com/images/Niel-Tupas-20151124%20(1).jpg" title="Niel Tupas Sr, 82"></div></a></div>
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<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/4E5C854D8776470496127BF1166D6EE8/20151025-benito-vergara-flickr_4E5C854D8776470496127BF1166D6EE8.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Oct 24, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/110625-national-scientist-benito-vergara-dies'>Benito Vergara, 81</a></strong><br />He was named National Scientist in 2001 for his contributions in rice research. Photo from Vergara's Flickr page"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/4E5C854D8776470496127BF1166D6EE8/20151025-benito-vergara-flickr_4E5C854D8776470496127BF1166D6EE8.jpg" title="Benito Vergara, 81"></div></a></div>
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<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/C76342F88C44494F9C60B6B829532567/andal-ampatuan-sr-20150422_C76342F88C44494F9C60B6B829532567.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Jul 17, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/99713-maguindanao-massacre-suspect-andal-ampatuan-sr-dead'>Andal Ampatuan Sr, 74</a></strong><br />He is the patriarch of the infamous Ampatuan clan in Maguindanao and one of the suspects in the country's most gruesome massacre in recent history. Photo by Noel Celis/EPA"><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/C76342F88C44494F9C60B6B829532567/andal-ampatuan-sr-20150422_C76342F88C44494F9C60B6B829532567.jpg" title="Andal Ampatuan, Sr, 74"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/D9EAD88A7D3B4BD28E6D7C3C14D3360D/fbi-most-wanted-marwan-jan-25-2015_D9EAD88A7D3B4BD28E6D7C3C14D3360D.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Jan 25, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/82941-marwan-dead-fbi'>Zulkifli Abdhir, aka Marwan</a></strong><br />He was one of two 'high-value targets' pursued and killed by the SAF 44 in the Mamasapano clash."><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/D9EAD88A7D3B4BD28E6D7C3C14D3360D/fbi-most-wanted-marwan-jan-25-2015_D9EAD88A7D3B4BD28E6D7C3C14D3360D.jpg" title="Zulkifli Abdhir, aka Marwan"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3 h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://static.rappler.com/images/BIFF-KATO0007.JPG" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="Apr 14, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/469730/news/nation/ameril-umbra-kato-rogue-milf-leader-and-founder-of-biff'>Ameril Umbra Kato, 68 or 69</a></strong><br />He was the founder of the rogue Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters militant group."><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://static.rappler.com/images/BIFF-KATO0007.JPG" title="Ameril Umbra Kato, 68 or 69"></div></a></div>
<div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-3  h-padding"><a class="example-image-link" href="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/9B9469CCB7564E7FBDDA1686E047527E/dead-abdul-basit-usman-20140131_9B9469CCB7564E7FBDDA1686E047527E.jpg" data-lightbox="example-set" data-title="May 3, 2015<br /><strong><a href='http://www.rappler.com/nation/91964-most-wanted-basit-usman'>Abdul Basit Usman</a></strong><br />The 2nd 'high-value terrorist target' was killed in a firefight in Guindulungan, Maguindanao."><div class="flex-video square"><img class="example-image wrapper" src="http://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/9B9469CCB7564E7FBDDA1686E047527E/dead-abdul-basit-usman-20140131_9B9469CCB7564E7FBDDA1686E047527E.jpg" title="Abdul Basit Usman"></div></a></div>
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– Rappler.com

(READ: Part 1: The annulment business)

(READ: Part 2: Cotabato court issues spurious annulment documents)

(READ: Part 3: Cavite: Haven for paid-for annulments?)

(READ: Part 4: Bribery in annulment mills)

MANILA, Philippines – Finally, Josie (not her real name) was going to get a second chance in life and love. At 29, it was still not too late.

Her boyfriend wanted to marry her and bring her to America. There was only one problem: she was still married to her first husband.

She secured an annulment only to find out she was scammed. Hers is not an isolated case. (READ: Delete that marriage certificate)

Josie’s first marriage to her first boyfriend was caused by a jumble of events triggered by rebellion and honor. She was only 17 when she ran away from home. By 19, she was married and pregnant.

With the baby’s arrival came her husband’s departure. He went off to work in construction sites and his absence became more frequent.

The love story came back to a familiar beginning, with Josie running away – back to the parents, with her baby in tow.

Fake certificate

Josie met her fiancé online. They have been corresponding since 2013 and he has come to the Philippines twice to visit her. Last year, he filed for a fiancée visa to bring her to America.

The thorny issue of her first marriage came up again.

Gezebel (not her real name), a colleague at work, offered to help. Gezebel knew a lawyer friend who handled annulment cases.

Josie called him on the phone and after several conversations agreed to meet at a Chinese restaurant in Santiago City. The lawyer quoted her P180,000 for an all-in annulment package and decision delivered within 6 months.

At their meeting, which Gezebel accompanied her to, Josie handed him the money and thought that her troubles would soon be over. Josie met her lawyer only twice, once to hand over the money to pay for handling the case and a second time, when he handed her a Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR), and an annotated marriage certificate.

Both are documents issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA, formerly the National Statistics Office) to reflect a person’s civil status. For someone who has never been married, a CENOMAR will certify “singleness”. (In the case of someone who has been previously married, a variation of the CENOMAR – reading like a track record – will be issued, listing all marriages entered into by an individual.)

In the case of an annulment, the couple’s original marriage certificate is issued but with an annotation on the right side. The annotation verifies that the marriage was annulled and lists details like date of the court decision and name of issuing judge.

There was no court decision, but Josie did not think to look for one. 

During her interview at the US embassy, her papers were checked and re-checked.

Josie was asked to re-verify her papers with the PSA. It turned out her marriage to her first husband was still intact.

Josie had been scammed. She confronted Gezebel whose defense was she only knew the lawyer from her hometown but had no idea he would do such a thing.

She called her lawyer, angry and upset. The lawyer insisted that the papers were real. He never took her calls again until finally the number could no longer be contacted.

Josie has re-filed her annulment with another lawyer who asked for P150,000 to handle her case.  Now that she’s going through the process again and has learned more about it, she realizes how her lawyer had taken advantage of her.

Josie has gone directly to the court where her new annulment case was filed to make sure that it has been assigned a civil case number. She regularly meets her lawyer in his office to discuss the status of her case. 

“Ang hirap-hirap. Mas mahal pa yun pag-scam sa akin kaysa dito sa totoo kong pag-file,” said Josie. (It’s so hard. I paid more for the scam than my real annulment.)

Forged court decision

Like Josie, Lani (not her real name) thought she was finally changing her life. After 18 years of separation from her first husband, 47-year-old Lani was engaged and set to go to America.

In her hometown in southern Philippines, her cousin referred her to a friend who connected her to a court interpreter who, in turn, linked her to a lawyer who could handle her case. The lawyer asked her for P280,000 for a fast-track package annulment.

In 2013, her case was filed in a Cotabato court under Judge Cader Indar. The decision came out in 6 months, a neat bundle comprised of a court decision signed by Indar, a CENOMAR and annotated marriage certificate.

She presented her papers to the US embassy as a requirement for her fiancée visa and waited. After 6 months, she made a follow-up and was asked to re-verify her papers with the PSA.

Lani told her lawyer about this and he insisted that they would take care of the re-verification themselves.

Not satisfied, she went to the Cotabato court. Lani’s case did not exist.

Not only that, Indar had already been dismissed by the Supreme Court in 2012, the year before she received her court decree for “the reprehensible act of issuing decisions that voided marital unions, without conducting judicial proceedings. Such malfeasance not only makes a mockery of marriage and its life-changing consequences, but likewise grossly violates the basic norms of truth, justice and due process.” (READ: Part 2: Cotabato issues spurious annulment documents)

Also in Cebu 

In 2011, a fake annulment scam was uncovered in Cebu. A secretary of a law firm was allegedly handing out fake court decisions by forging the signatures of judges. The secretary, whose whereabouts are unknown, reportedly charged P200,000 for the issuance of a marriage decision. 

The scam was uncovered when civil registry officer Evangeline Abatayo asked 20 RTC judges and 11 notaries-public for their specimen signatures. It was then found that the signatures did not match some of the court decisions

That same year and also in Cebu, Aileen Colina Bell filed a case of disbarment against her lawyer, Luis Diores Jr, whom she had hired to annul her marriage to a German.

Her decision was penned by Judge Olegario Sarmiento Jr of Cebu RTC Branch No. 24, which is a family court.

It was only when Bell tried to have her documents authenticated in the court that she found that the court order was fake – two years after she had gotten the decision.

Sarmiento and Judge Ester Veloso, another judge whose signature was reportedly forged in annulment decisions, were implicated in fake annulment decisions which were discovered after a civil registry officer noticed a typographical error in a court decision and went to Sarmiento’s court to verify it.

Swindling, scamming 

Faking court decisions and civil registry documents fall under the crime of falsification of public documents, while receiving money for doing so is estafa.

Falsification of public documents carries a penalty of two years, 4 months up to 6 years while the maximum penalty for estafa is 20 years.

According to the National Bureau of Investigation, fixers or those involved in annulment scams are usually one-off small time operators who cannot be boxed into a certain profile.

“It varies. You cannot say that there is only one process involved,” said Dennis Siyhian, executive officer of the anti-fraud division of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). 

According to Siyhian, the usual personalities involved are “fixers” who claim to work in the court or claim to know someone who works in the court. The victim is usually someone who is referred to that person through a trusted friend or relative.

“There is a demand for this service so there will be people who will try to meet that demand and make money,” said Siyhian.

Siyhian cited an example of a case handled by the NBI to illustrate a typical scenario.

A petitioner wanted to get an annulment and asked a relative if he knew anyone who could help. That relative referred someone (Friend 1) who knew a court employee (Friend 2).

Friend 1 asked for P150,000 as payment to fix the case. Later, the relative claimed that Friend 1 actually asked for P250,000, the P150,000 was only a down payment.

A packet of court documents were turned over to the petitioner which turned out to be fake.

An entrapment operation was set up by the NBI and Friend 2 (the court employee) was charged with estafa and falsification of documents. In his defense, Friend 2 said he was just a go-between, there was another person who actually prepared the bogus documents – a Friend 3.

The scenario is typical of how the annulment scam unfolds.

The trail usually starts off by word of mouth. Someone needs an annulment and asks a friend or relative if they know anyone. The friend says they know someone (who may in turn know someone else) who works on the inside and makes things happen.

“It is easy to fake court documents, that’s just printed on bond paper. They can easily be copied. The dry seal (on the court decision) can be bought,” said Siyhian.

The ease of faking documents, the low capital required to set up an operation and the potentially high returns of anywhere between P180,000-P280,000 per transaction make it a lucrative operation.

“You can get away with it – initially. But at some point, you will get caught,” said Siyhian.

“We conduct a court verification with the issuing court to check if the decision is authentic. We do not issue an annotated marriage certificate if we find that the court documents are fake,” said Aurora Reolalas, chief of the vital statistics division of the NSO. (READ: Gov’t warning: Make sure annulment documents are real)

Likewise, civil registry officers may also do their own spot checks of court documents to look out for typographical errors, inconsistencies in the details (such as the address on the marriage certificate not matching the residence stated in the court decision).

Ramon Matabang, chief of the civil registry office of Quezon City, personally writes to judges to confirm the issuance of a decree. “If I don’t get a reply from the addressee-judge but get a reply from a court personnel under the judge, I will re-verify by writing the judge again to be sure.”

Foreign embassies also conduct their own independent verification process directly with the PSA.

The owner of the document may also be held liable. “The presumption of the law is as the presenter of the document, you are the author of that document. The burden of proof is on you to prove otherwise,” said Siyhian.

Undoubtedly, low level of understanding of the law has a part to play. Petitioners desperate to be free of the legal bonds that continue to tie them to a failed marriage and eager to do it in the easiest way possible fall prey to the sweet promise of an annulment. And as former dean of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law Pacifico Agabin pointed out, the fact that most Philippine laws are written in English does not help.

“That is the main reason why many Filipinos are considered non-law abiding,” said Agabin. “How will they follow the law when they do not understand it?”

The UP College of Law translated certain laws like the Civil Code into Filipino and other dialects. But translating the law is one thing, disseminating it en masse is another.

“To my knowledge, there is no government office that has been assigned to disseminate laws translated into Filipino to the public,” said Agabin. 

Also in the US

Outside Philippine shores, other organizations are claiming they can arrange one’s annulment.

DivorceinthePhilippines.com, which according to the information listed in its contact page, is based in Minnesota, USA. It requires subscription to their site before receiving information about their services. We subscribed to the site and sent an email inquiry, but have yet to receive a reply, as of this writing.

We did uncover a YouTube ad for divorceinthephilippines.com which promises that “divorce in the Philippines” is not impossible and that they can arrange for you to marry your Filipina girlfriend.

Ads for sites like divorceinthephilippines.com usually appear in on-line dating websites.

Dada (not her real name), 40, met her American husband on one such dating site. They got married in non-Catholic rites in the Philippines last 2010. According to Dada, her annulment was arranged in the US by a lawyer her husband contracted for $6,000.

The lawyer who is married to a Filipina, supposedly had a contact in Davao who, in turn, arranged for the annulment.

When asked about the details of her court proceedings, Dada did not know in what court her case was filed because she did not make a court appearance. All she knows is that she got her CENOMAR.

“Claiming no-appearance should already be a red flag. It is impossible to proceed with a case without a court appearance – even just one,” said Jeanie Pulido, a lawyer who handles annulment cases. “The Supreme Court states that the petitioner must appear to submit his or her testimony.”

Irene Bianca Distura, deputy director of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, said that it is for the petitioner’s own protection. “As a matter of due process, the court has to ensure the identity of the one filing the case.”

Now Dada is anxious. Her papers may be fake. If proven, she may be charged with bigamy or with adultery, a criminal offense for which she can be imprisoned up to 6 years.

Peace of mind is something that cannot be bought or guaranteed by even the best falsified court decree. – Rappler.com

(To be concluded: Part 6: Recto: Certified fake)

This story is part of the series, “The annulment business", on annulment mills and annulment scams. Reporting for this project was supported with a grant from the Journalism for Nation Building Foundation.

(READ: Part 1: The annulment business)

(READ: Part 2: Cotabato court issues spurious annulment documents)

(READ: Part 3: Cavite: Haven for paid-for annulments?)

(READ: Part 4: Bribery in annulment mills)

(READ: PART 5: Annulment scam)

MANILA, Philippines – “Sa Recto po?” I asked the cab driver. (Recto?)

He nodded and I got into the cab.

“Saan sa Recto?” (Where in Recto?)

“Doon po sa bilihan ng diploma.” (Where you can buy diplomas.)

He steered the cab in the direction of the street that has become synonymous to fake documents.

Our investigation of annulment mills and scams started with a tip that some courts were releasing annulment decisions in wholesale quantities, for a price. It was widely circulated "word on the street", somewhat an open secret.  But what was less known was the extent of these irregularities – as we discovered a string of court anomalies and spurious annulment decisions issued nationwide – from northern Luzon to Mindanao and how many people profit from the heartbreak of others. 

Inevitably, I made my way to Recto.

I was hoping to find the "NSO Marriage Certificate" (when people actually refer to the annotated marriage certificate that is released by the Philippine Statistics Authority) that I had been hearing so much about whenever we encountered falsified documents. The recognized get-out-of-jail card of the newly annulled. The one that scammers and lawyers alike offered as part of the total annulment package. 

Recto is where you can buy just about any document you need – a diploma, a transcript, a driver’s license.

But could I buy a faux marriage certificate annotated with the details of a faux annulment?

My cab driver seemed to be sure I could when he learned what I was really looking for.

He handed me a business card. It was for a print shop that listed land titles, birth certificates and any kind of I.D. as among “any kind of paper works” that it could print. A passenger who offered a fake driver’s license gave it to him.

I got off at the end of the university belt and began looking for a print shop. I found a smattering of tables spread out with documents on display.

I approached a vendor and asked her about marriage certificates. When she registered a blank stare, she turned to the man next to her, “Marriage certificate daw?”

He took me to a print shop and asked for a certain Adan. He pointed to me and told Adan, “Naghahanap sya ng pang-annul. Sabi ko ikaw.”  (She’s looking for an annulment. I told her about you.)

I told Adan my older sister wanted to petition me so I can go to the United States, but can only do so if I am single. So I needed my marriage annulled fast.

It was a spin on the desperate and urgent undertones that had now become a familiar track in the different narratives of our various case studies. 

Adan was all business, rattling off other requirements that I need to present to the embassy.

“Court decision, annotated marriage certificate. Samahan na natin ng CENOMAR (Certificate of No Marriage) para sure. Pati court decision puwede na rin.” (Let’s add a CENOMAR so we’re sure. We can add a court decision, too.)

And just like our interviewees had attested, someone would fast talk them and promise them to make the bad marriage, the memories of the despicable ex, all go away for a price.

Adan wanted P8,000 for this “annulment package” which included a court decision supposedly penned by a lawyer, a CENOMAR, and annotated marriage certificate on “actual” NSO paper.  When I protested, he said it would still be cheaper than hiring a lawyer myself.

Adan justified his price further. “Kailangan dun yung totoong papel ng NSO. Yung mga fake, P500 lang pero sasabit ka nun. Yung bibigay ko sa 'yo, umiilaw yun, sa NSO mismo namin kinukuha 'yung papel nun. Dini-deliver yun sa amin pag gabi ng naka-motor.”  

(You need the real one, the one on NSO paper. The fakes ones are just P500, that will get you into trouble. What I’m going to give you is the one that lights up, we get the paper from the NSO. That's delivered to us at night by someone on a motorcycle.)

He agreed to a discounted price of P4,000 if I did not want to include the court decision.

I asked him if he could show me this paper and he countered by asking for payment. 

When I told him my wallet contained only small bills, he shrugged his shoulders and turned to answer one of 3 cellphones.

I headed for the Avenida Arcade address listed in the calling card my cab driver gave me.

Avenida Arcade is lined with document vendors squished on either side of the street. Cardboard placards brandish a list of documents that could be printed and sold. Samples of documents are posted on cardboard and covered with plastic.

It was a flea market of facsimiles. But where were the marriage certificates?

A girl in a narrow stall was talking to a couple of customers and I fell in line.

I need an annotated marriage certificate showing that my marriage was annulled, I said.

“'Yung local, 'yung NSO o 'yung totoo?” she asked briskly. (The local one, the NSO or the real one?) 

She met my confused glance and explained that she needed to know so she could recommend the best fit.

I decided to change track to see if a purpose different from a visa requirement would fetch me a lower price.

“Sa bangko po. Kailangan ko po ibalik yung pangalan ko sa pagka-dalaga.” (For bank purposes. I need to change the name on my bank accounts to my maiden name.)

She recommended a real NSO marriage certificate to be sure. The fake one would only be good for pre-employment requirements but for those offices that would check like the bank or government agencies, she suggested a “real” document, one printed on NSO paper. 

“Dating tiga-NSO 'yung nagbibigay sa amin nun. Umalis na siya dun kasi mas malaki ang kita dito. Pero may contact pa din siya dun sa loob.” (We get that from someone who used to be in the NSO. They left because they make better money here, but they still have a contact on the inside.)

Again, I asked for a sample of this document that until now I had only heard of but not seen. “Nasa gawaan po kasi namin yun. Bibilhin pa din po namin yun pag may order, e, may kamahalan.” (It’s in the printing place. We buy the paper when there is an order. It’s a bit expensive.)

She quoted me P2,000 for the fake marriage certificate printed on this actual NSO paper. We settled for a fake marriage certificate for a driven down price of P350 from P500. She took out a half sheet of pad paper elementary students use, divided it into two columns and asked me to fill it out.

I filled up the paper that served as my application form. I settled for a mash-up of Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper. A last minute tug of nationalism prompted me to add San Andres to the last name of “my husband”.

She told me to come back after an hour, but it was after 3 hours when she finally handed me a Manila envelope with a marriage certificate stating that the marriage of Anne Cruz to Ryan Cooper San Andres was declared null and void by Judge Leticia P. Morales of Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 24 on August 20, 2014.

I was married and annulled all in one day. Not even Las Vegas can beat that.

Transaction code can’t be faked

I showed the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) a copy of the annotated marriage certificate I purchased at Recto.

At first glance, it is a good fake, Aurora Reolalas, chief of the PSA vital statistics division, acquiesced. The requisites are there: the PSA seal on the upper left hand side, the bar code at the bottom, and the signature of national statistician Lisa Bersales on the lower right.

A quick check of the transaction code on top of the bar code showed no such records exist in their system.

“Sometimes, the name of the person on the document does not correspond to the transaction code,” said Reolalas. 

But what about the paper that is purportedly supplied by someone on the inside? 

“They can fake everything else, maybe even the paper, but not the transaction code,” said Reolalas. 

Paper safeguards

Marriage certificates are printed on paper that has built-in security features. Apart from that, the PSA also institutes safeguards on the inventory and management of the paper that marriage certificates are printed on.

According to Reolalas, the color of the paper is changed regularly and actual documents are scanned in different premises to avoid possible collusion between those working on the documents and the civil registry.

But not too many are aware of this. Or even if they were, those truly desperate to get out of a stifling marriage sometimes don't mind the collusion. And it could come with great cost. (READ: IN NUMBERS: The state of the nation's marital woes)– Rappler.com

This story is part of the series, “The annulment business”, on annulment mills and annulment scams. Reporting for this project was supported with a grant from the Journalism for Nation Building Foundation. Part 6 concludes the series. For tips and information, email us at investigative@rappler.com.

MANILA, Philippines – Presidential aspirant Senator Grace Poe used to be the presidential polls front runner even before she declared her presidential bid in September. But things have changed with the disqualification cases against her and the entry of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

Poe enjoyed positive media coverage and reviews from the public in June, after she led the Senate investigation into the botched Mamasapano incident.

In the committee report, Poe said President Benigno Aquino III, the person who appointed her as Movie and Television Review and Classification Board chairperson in 2010 and who helped her win in the 2013 senatorial elections, was responsible for the incident. 

In September, Poe continued to top presidential preference surveys. At the time, Poe was very persistent on investigating the poor state of the public transport system, particularly the Metro Rail Transit 3 or the MRT. While the investigation started in 2014, public outcry against government officials grew stronger after continuous accidents involving the MRT.

It was also at this point when Poe, chairperson of the Senate committee on public services, quietly rode the MRT to experience the daily plight of Filipino commuters. 

The Pulse Asia surveys in June and September showed that while Poe continued to be the top presidential choice, her real ratings or actual numbers have gone down – from 30% in June to 26% in September. 

The Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations surveys in December showed a similar, or even worse, fate for Poe.

The Pulse Asia poll, which Vice President Jejomar Binay topped, showed Poe’s numbers dropping to 21%, trailing behind Binay with 33% and Duterte with 23%. (READ: Binay the man to beat in Pulse Asia survey)

Click or hover over the number to read about Poe's visits. Note that the events are labeled in chronological order. 

1. National Capital Region

In the National Capital Region, Poe was the most preferred presidential bet in September. By the month of December, however, she ranked only third in Metro Manila, after Binay and Duterte. This was when the Comelec divisions ruled to disqualify her from joining the 2016 race.

Poe declared her presidential bid on September 16 at the Bahay ng Alumni at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. The following day, Poe endorsed Senator Francis Escudero as her running mate at the Club Filipino in San Juan.

On October 13, Poe met with the transport and commuter sector in Quezon City. Two days after, Poe and Escudero filed their certificates of candidacy at the Commission on Elections in Manila.

The following day, on October 16, the tandem endorsed their senatorial candidate Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno in Tondo, Manila.

On October 29, the two revealed their complete senatorial line-up at the Club Filipino.

On November 5, the Makabayan coalition formally endorsed the Poe-Escudero tandem for 2016. Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares is running on the Poe-Escudero slate.

On November 16, Poe was the guest speaker at the 1^st ever International Symposium on Moringa in Pasay City.

On November 22, she was also the guest speaker at the oath-taking of successful examinees or the new Certified Public Accountants in Pasay City.

The following day, she had dinner with members of the Wallace Business Forum in Makati.

On November 25, Poe attended a presidential forum organized by Filipino alumni of US-based schools such as Wharton, Kellogg, and Harvard at the Manila Polo Club. Only Poe and Roxas attended the event.

On December 2, she joined another forum organized by GoNegosyo at Solaire Resort in Parañaque City.

On December 7, she was the guest speaker at the National Convention of Government Employees.

A week later, December 14, Poe, her family, and supporters commemorated the 11^th death anniversary of the late action star Fernando Poe Jr at the Manila North Cemetery.

On December 16, she inaugurated the headquarters of the Grace Poe Movement for President in Quezon City.

On December 18, she attended a migrant workers forum organized by the Migrante party list, part of the Makabayan bloc that supports the Poe-Escudero tandem, at the University of the Philippines Diliman. 

2. Luzon

On October 6, Poe visited Camarines Sur, the stronghold province of administration vice presidential bet Leni Robredo. Poe met with local officials and gave a speech at the World Teachers’ Day in Naga.

On October 23, Poe went to Virac in Catanduanes province to attend the Provincial Board Members League in Region 5 or the Bicol Region. 

On October 26, Poe went to Calasiao, Pangasinan to conduct relief operations for the victim of Typhoon Lando (international name Koppu). At the time, Poe had been to the vote-rich province at least thrice already.

On November 6, Poe went to Subic and Bataan to meet students and do radio interviews.

On November 11, Poe went back to Pangasinan, the province where her father, the late action star Fernando Poe Jr, was born, to receive an honorary degree from the University of Luzon. 

On November 17, Poe visited the University of Perpetual Help school in Biñan, Laguna. This was where she found out about the favorable decision of the Senate Electoral Tribunal. 

On November 19, Poe visited schools and local media in Malolos, Bulacan and Pampanga, together with some of her senatorial bets. 

On November 27, Poe visited Lucena in Quezon and Lipa in Batangas to do radio interviews, hold press conferences, and meet students. 

On December 11, Poe visited Tarlac city, a bailiwick of the administration. She did radio interviews, held press conferences, and attended a summit on peace and security with local officials. It was here where she found out about the disqualification ruling of the 1^st division of the Comelec.

The following day, Poe went to Cauayan City in Isabela to meet students and attend a leadership summit. She was welcomed by Nationalist People’s Coalition president and Isabela Representative Giorgidi Aggabao.

3. Visayas

Poe’s ratings are relatively low in the Visayas region. After all, it is a known bailiwick of the administration and their bet Mar Roxas. 

Prior to her declaration in September, Poe had already visited the vote-rich Cebu city twice. In 2013, Poe belonged to the top 5 senatorial bets in the city and in the whole province.

On October 1, Poe again went to Cebu City to meet with students and local media. Afterwards, she went to Danao City in the 5^th district of the province to meet with the Durano family and their local Bakud party.

On October 9, Poe went to Dumaguete to meet with students. She then went to Capiz, one of the strongholds of Roxas.

Two months after, on December 10, Poe returned to Iloilo, her supposed birth province. She led a Senate investigation into the alleged break-in in a local radio station. It is also where she met with the nephew of the man who found her. Poe’s supposed family members also met with her. Now, they are awaiting results of the DNA tests.

4. Mindanao

In 2004, Mindanao was a known bailiwick of Poe's father FPJ. But the 2016 elections may prove to be different, as Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has strong support in the region. Poe's ratings in the region have declined from 20% in September to only 10% in December.

On October 2, Poe went to Cotabato and Butuan cities to visit schools, do radio interviews and meet with the local press.

On December 4, Poe went to Tandag City in Surigao del Sur and met students of Surigao State University. Poe and Escudero also took the opportunity to visit a community of Lumads and listened to their woes and requests.

5. Foreign

On December 25, while on vacation with family, Poe visited Hong Kong and supposedly chanced upon hundreds of Overseas Filipino Workers at a gathering in Central, which was apparently organized by Migrante International. Poe then made a speech and wooed OFW voters in the country.

On December 27, Poe attended a mass at St Joseph’s Church, where many OFWs hear Mass every Sunday. – Data visualization by Nico Villarete/Rappler.com

Sources: Office of Senator Grace Poe, various news reports

MANILA, Philippines – Though not yet at the number one spot in 2016 election surveys, Rodrigo Duterte’s ratings have been steadily climbing the percentage ladder.

In the latest Pulse Asia survey, conducted from December 4-11, 2015, the Davao City mayor is now at second place, tied with former leading contender Senator Grace Poe. In previous surveys, he had been straddling either 3rd or 4th place. 

But both Duterte and Poe now trail behind new poll first-placer Vice President Jejomar Binay.

In the latest poll, Duterte garnered a rating of 23%, an increase of 7 percentage points compared to his rating in the September 8-14, 2015 Pulse Asia poll (16%) – his biggest jump in ratings so far. 

Here’s a look at how his Pulse Asia survey ratings have changed:

In the time between the two latest surveys were conducted, what was Duterte up to? 

The months between the September and December polls were a period of upheaval and transition for Duterte’s camp. Duterte had not announced his intention to run for president until November 21. 

Other candidates had already been diligently visiting different parts of the country, specifically to campaign.

But Duterte wasn’t sitting pretty either. Those months saw him making repeated visits to Luzon, especially Metro Manila. He also visited the Visayas and parts of Mindanao outside Davao City. 

His numbers have so far survived public criticism of his potshots at Pope Francis, condemnation from women’s rights groups for his womanizing, and his former repeated statements that he would not run for president.

But the period between September and December also saw the surfacing of other issues that may have affected his rating.  

Public disapproval with the Aquino administration ripened because of the tanim-bala scandal (alleged bullet-planting scam in Philippine airports).

Duterte too was outspoken about the issue, even volunteering to lawyer for tanim-bala victims and making a public appeal to President Aquino to solve the problem.

Also during this time, Poe’s presidential bid was put on rocky ground due to her citizenship issues, a series of events heavily covered by the media. 

National Capital Region ratings

Rest of Luzon ratings

Visayas ratings

Mindanao ratings

September to December trail 

So from September to December, where was Duterte and what was he doing?

A day before the September poll was conducted, Duterte had announced categorically in a press conference in Davao City that he would not run for president. 

Yet the survey results still showed an increase in his rating by one percentage point compared to the survey conducted from May 30-June 5, 2015 – from 15% to 16%.

Click or hover over the number to read about Duterte's visits. Note that the events are labeled in chronological order.

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In the month of September, despite this announcement, Duterte visited Metro Manila to promote federalism, a form of government that gives more power and independence to local government units.

On September 8, he spoke about federalism to students and residents of Navotas and Malabon.

On September 10, he was interviewed by TV5 journalists on national television where he hinted that his decision not to run was not yet final.

For the rest of the month until early October, Duterte had to focus on his own backyard. He was either in Davao City or Zamboanga City to help deal with the kidnapping of 3 foreigners and a Filipina from a Samal Island resort.  

September was also the month when killings and harassments of indigenous peoples or Lumad in Mindanao came to a head. Hundreds of Lumad sought refuge in Davao City. 

But on September 26, Duterte sent a text message to his supporters gathered in Luneta that he would do a “final soul-searching” to decide once and for all his 2016 plans. 

Three days later, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano began his “courtship” of Duterte, his dream running mate, when he declared his vice-presidential bid in Davao City, Duterte’s hometown. 

Fast forward to October 12 when Duterte said the outcome of his “soul-searching” is his decision not to run for president.

True enough, he did not file his candidacy for president in the Commission of Elections (Comelec) headquarters in Manila from October 12 to 16.

Then, on November 3, Duterte was in Compostela Valley where New People’s Army (NPA) rebels released prisoners-of-war to him.

The week after, on November 9, the still-hopeful Alan Peter Cayetano invited Duterte to his birthday party in his Taguig City home. Duterte showed up but appeared unconvinced about seeking the presidency. 

On November 11, two days after the party, Duterte spoke at a sporting arms show in SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City. He is a known gun enthusiast.

In two weeks, Duterte was in Iloilo City on November 21 to give a speech at a medical association event. On the same day, he and Cayetano attended a party in Cavite where Duterte finally announced his intention to run for president.

On November 23, Duterte was again in Metro Manila, this time to attend the opening ceremony of a Japanese restaurant owned by his friend.

At the end of that week, on November 27, he was in Alabel, Sarangani province in Mindanao to attend the Munato Festival.

Two days after, he was back in Metro Manila to attend a concert of his and Cayetano’s supporters in Taguig City. He bared the details of his “womanizing” to the thousands of concert-goers.

The next day, he was formally declared the presidential candidate of political party PDP-Laban in a Manila hotel. At the event, he “unintentionally” cursed the Pope in a speech prompting a deluge of public criticism.

On December 1, he spoke in front of employees of a logistics service company in Pasay City. He remained unapologetic about bad-mouthing the pontiff.

On December 4, back in Davao City, he visited an archbishop and bishop to be “admonished and lectured on Christian values.” He promised to “lessen” his use of cuss words.

On December 8, now facing petitions asking the Comelec to disqualify him from running because of errors in the election documents of the candidate he replaced, he was at the Comelec office in Manila to “reaffirm” his presidential bid.

During the Christmas holiday, he reportedly took some time off to vacation with his family. The day before Christmas, however, he made an “unplanned visit” to Caluya, Antique, to speak in front of locals who work for the Consunji-owned Semirara Power Corporation, which runs an open-pit coal mine in the island.

Strengths: Mindanao vote, upper and middle class

Based on election surveys so far, Duterte’s strength is the Mindanao vote. He is consistently the top pick of most Mindanaoan respondents. In the December Pulse Asia poll, Binay topped all regions but lost Mindanao to Duterte.

Duterte is weakest in the Luzon regions outside Mega Manila. As for voters according to economic class, Duterte is strong with the more affluent (economic classes A, B, and C) but weak among the poorest voters (class E).

Though now in second place, Duterte has a long way to go if he hopes to catch up with Binay.

The vice president garnered a rating of 33% in the latest survey compared to Duterte’s 23%, a difference of 10 percentage points.

There is also no official announcement from the Comelec on whether Duterte can run for president after receiving petitions demanding Duterte's disqualification.

Will Duterte continue to enjoy the loyalty of his upper- and middle-class supporters? Can he attract more votes in Luzon and the Visayas? Can he depend on Mindanaoans to elect him to power? Can he get the poorest Filipinos to vote for him in May?

The events of the next few months will tell. – data visualization by Nico Villarete/Rappler.com

Sources: Office of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Office of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, various news reports

MANILA, Philippines – Of all the presidential contenders, it can be said that Manuel Roxas II, the standard-bearer of the ruling Liberal Party (LP), has the most to prove.

He is the anointed successor of President Benigno Aquino III, and he carries with him the scars of a failed bid for the vice presidency in 2010.

Yet when he announced his candidacy, he had anything but dominant numbers to boast of. At his lowest, Roxas recorded only 4 percentage points in a 2014 presidential preference poll.

Supporters and pundits expected Roxas' numbers to rise quickly following Aquino’s endorsement in late July. While his numbers did improve immediately after the endorsement, Roxas has seen his numbers either dip or plateau months after.

According to the Social Weather Stations (SWS), Roxas was 2nd in the “top-of-mind” polls held after Aquino’s endorsement and in a virtual three-way tie in another version of its presidential preference poll.

Pulse Asia placed Roxas at second in September, next to Senator Grace Poe, who he initially wooed to be his running mate.

But the tale of the tape changed in December 2015, during polling firms’ 4th quarter preferential survey, the last that would be taken before the official campaign season kicks off in February.

SWS’s survey saw Roxas rise a meager 2% while the Pulse Asia survey, taken a week after the SWS poll, saw a 3 percentage point dip for Roxas. (READ: Roxas suffers first survey dip post-endorsement) 

It was a far cry from the lofty pronouncements of his supporters months prior. Is it a case of a calculated slow-and-steady rise or is the Aquino magic simply not enough?

Rappler traces the places Roxas went and the activities he took part in between September to December 2015 to make sense of his survey numbers, using Pulse Asia’s September and December surveys as points of comparison, while taking note too of data from SWS and Laylo Research Strategies.

NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION

The National Capital Region (NCR) is traditionally an opposition bailiwick, a pattern that members of the LP emphasize when the breakdown of voter’s preference is discussed.

Roxas has performed consistently low in the vote-rich mega city.

But being the center of many nationwide groups and the hub for national media, Metro Manila was still witness to a huge chunk of Roxas’ activities and engagements.

Between October to December 2015, the LP standard-bearer attended at least 6 presidential fora, either with students, the business community, or civic society. Most of these fora included a Q&A format where a moderator, a panel or audience members were given a chance to ask him questions.

Roxas attended the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) forum alongside Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago on October 27. Barely a week later, he was in the hot seat during Go Negosyo’s forum for presidential aspirants on December 9.

Before November ended, Roxas again faced the business community during a forum organized by alumni from 3 prominent US business schools. He also attended two forums back-to-back on December 10 and 11 – CNN Philippines’ Town Hall at the Far Eastern University and the Galing Pook forum at the Ateneo de Manila University.

Of the presidential forums attended by Roxas, only one was held outside Metro Manila – a dialogue with students and civic society leaders at the University of San Jose Recoletos in Cebu City on November 12.

In Metro Manila too, Roxas made it a habit to attend the conventions of national groups – from leagues of barangay officials to government employees.

When he was still interior secretary, he attended the gathering of Mindanao barangay officials in Pasay City on September 2. And when the same league held its national convention on September 29, Roxas was again its guest of honor even if he had long stepped down from the Cabinet.

Between the months of September and December, Roxas led or joined countless meetings and events in Metro Manila, including the announcement of Camarines Sur Representative Leni Robredo as his running mate, the launch of the ruling coalition’s Senate slate, and meetings with other political parties in hopes of keeping the coalition intact in 2016.

Metro Manila didn't go for Roxas during his failed 2010 vice presidential bid. The LP candidate then got only 1.48 of 4.2 million votes in the mega city, compared to Binay’s 2.1 million votes.

BALANCE LUZON

Seven of 10 provinces considered vote-rich in the Philippines all belong to Luzon. Of the 7, only one – Pangasinan – picked Roxas over Binay in the 2010 vice presidential race.

The same provinces voted in favor of the LP coalition’s senatorial bets during the 2013 elections.

It’s no surprise, then, that Roxas also spent a lot of time in different Luzon provinces, visiting them more than twice in the 4-month period spanning the two different surveys.

Roxas has visited Laguna at least 3 times in the latter quarter of 2015. It was during one visit on October 1 when the “Playgirls” scandal involving former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Francis Tolentino happened.

Tolentino was presumed to have been assured of a slot in the LP-led senate slate but the backlash following the racy dance number in Laguna forced him to leave the slate. Roxas and the rest of the LP also had to deal with the criticism following that incident.

It is also in Laguna where the LP has forged a province-wide coalition with the Nacionalista Party, which counts the incumbent governor Ramil Hernandez as its member.

On December 8, Roxas visited 3 Laguna cities – Santa Rosa, Biñan and San Pedro – in a show of force for the LP standard-bearer. (READ: Ruling party in Laguna: One stage, two vice governors)

The province is considered a stronghold of the opposition, where ousted governor ER Ejercito (nephew of ousted president turned Manila mayor Erap Estrada) still enjoys a strong following. Roxas also lost badly in Laguna when he ran for vice president, getting only 328,130 votes compared to Binay’s 560,978.

Roxas has also frequented Bulacan, Batangas and Nueva Ecija several times the past 4 months.

Bicol has also been a fairly frequent destination for Roxas. He visited Sorsogon, the home province of Senator Francis Escudero, the running mate of presidential rival Senator Grace Poe, at least once the past 4 months.

One of his more notable visits happened the day after Escudero announced his candidacy and a few days after Poe announced her own. (READ: In Sorsogon, it’s Mar-Chiz in 2016)

One of Roxas’ most gruelling periods between September and December 2015 saw him visit 5 Luzon provinces – Pangasinan, Isabela, Albay, Camarines Sur, and Batangas – in a span of 4 days.

Those visits included radio interviews, multi-sectoral assemblies and events with local LP members or allies.

The only vote-rich province which Roxas did not visit repeatedly was Cavite, whose incumbents are allied with Binay. The Vice President got more than half of votes in Cavite back in 2010, with Roxas garnering around 35%.

VISAYAS

The Bisaya and Hiligaynon-speaking parts of the country have always been kind to Roxas, according to data from past elections. The Visayas is considered the LP standard-bearer's bailiwick.

He does, after all, trace his roots to two Visayas provinces – Negros Occidental on his mother’s side and Capiz on his father’s side.  

Vote-rich Cebu, for instance, delivered strongly for Roxas in 2010, where he got over 61% of votes compared to Binay’s paltry 24%. The LP standard-bearer also did very well in Negros Occidental, getting over 66% of votes in the province compared to Binay’s 20%.

Presidential preference poll numbers tell more or less the same story of Visayas as Roxas’ bailiwick. (READ: Roxas warns vs 'malubak na nakaraan' and 'untested' bets)

But Pulse Asia’s breakdown of voters’ preference came as a surprise to many. Surveys commissioned by media entities and internal polls by the LP have all established that Roxas has at least 30% preference in Visayas.

Although he hasn’t frequented Visayas provinces as he has those in Luzon, Roxas visited different cities and towns in Cebu province several times, with a couple of visits to Iloilo and stops in Dumaguete, Eastern Samar, and Leyte.

Why did he drop in the Visayas – by over 7 percentage points – between September and December 2015?

Two things could be factors: the anniversary of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), which ravaged Eastern Visayas, and the entry of Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who also hails from Visayas.

On November 8, 2015, members of the opposition flocked to Tacloban City in Leyte, which suffered the most casualties and damage during the onslaught of Yolanda. Tacloban is also where politics allegedly got in the way between national and local government’s response. (READ: Politics, lack of command hound Tacloban)

To this day, Roxas’ detractors point to a meeting between him and Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez as a supposed reason why he shouldn’t be elected president.

Both Aquino and Roxas skipped visits to Eastern Visayas on Yolanda’s 2nd anniversary, although both of them did visit Arteche, Eastern Samar, on October 30, or more than a week before the anniversary.

Roxas has been to Leyte, even Tacloban City, at least once in the past, to guest in local radio shows.

MINDANAO

This is where the survey numbers differ vastly for Roxas, at least based on Pulse Asia and Laylo data (SWS does not release a breakdown of voters’ preference according to island groupings).

According to the Laylo survey, Roxas is second to Duterte in Mindanao. Pulse Asia, meanwhile, places him at a distant 3rd behind Duterte and Binay.

Roxas frequented Mindanao the least from September to December 2015, but visited key provinces including Davao del Sur, Misamis Oriental, and Misamis Occidental.

The “Daang Matuwid” standard-bearer kicked off September with a “Gathering of Friends” in Davao City – essentially, a political sortie to rally support for Roxas. No less than President Aquino graced the September 9 event. (READ: Roxas' pitch to Mindanao: Aquino admin valued you the most)

More than a month later, Roxas and Robredo visited Koronadal City on October 18, as guests of honor for a Department of Social Welfare and Development Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), the Aquino administration’s flagship poverty alleviation program.

Testimonies from 4Ps beneficiaries are staples in Roxas’ sorties in Mindanao and around the Philippines, supposed proof that Aquino’s “Daang Matuwid (Straight Path)” and its programs are working.

Roxas also paid a quick visit to Loreto town in Agusan del Sur on October 24 to attend the wake of its slain mayor, Dario Otaza. The rest of his visits to Mindanao consisted of radio guestings, multi-sectoral assemblies, and quick photo-ops with locals.

But predicted voting patterns in Mindanao changed abruptly late November when Duterte finally decided he would run for president.

Several Mindanao politicians, even those affiliated with the ruling LP, were supposedly jumping ship to support the Davao mayor, the sole Mindanaoan in the presidential race. Roxas downplayed reports of jumping ship but said he “understood” the decisions of politicians who do.

It did not help that Duterte was convinced that it was Roxas, his erstwhile friend, was behind rumors he had cancer. Even if Roxas denied his and his party’s involvement, their “feud” hit a new low mid-December after Roxas said it was a “myth” that Davao was the country’s safest city.

Duterte hit back by criticizing Roxas’ ability as a manager, citing the experience of Yolanda and even claimed Roxas was lying about his Wharton degree. The word war soon spiralled into slap dares, fist fight challenges, and even a gun duel challenge.

In the middle of the media spectacle, LP members from Mindanao met with Roxas in Quezon City to assure him of their support while conceding Duterte’s impact on the LP standard-bearer's candidacy. (READ: Mar or Rody? Mindanao is not hungry for entertainment, say LP allies)

The issue eventually died down as Christmas drew nearer, but not before other political camps weighed in and criticized Roxas and Duterte for their tirades.

AQUINO'S NUMBERS

Unlike his rivals for the presidency, Roxas’ numbers may be influenced by the approval rating of President Aquino.

The Laylo survey found out that the top reason why people picked Roxas was because they hoped he would be able to continue Aquino’s programs. At the same time, respondents said they would not vote for Roxas because he “does not make his own decisions and merely follows what Aquino says.”

From September to December 2015, Aquino and his administration faced several issues. Towards the end of August, the influential Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) staged a massive protest along EDSA, supposedly because of the government’s overreach into their internal matters.

The administration would later triumph and convince INC leaders to stop the protest. Months later, the case against the church’s top ministers remains in limbo.

In September 2015, the controversial “Oplan Exodus” again made headlines after Aquino himself said that there were still unresolved issues. Exodus was a top-secret police operation that killed a top terrorist but cost the lives of 44 elite cops in the town of Mamasapano in Maguindanao province. (READ: President Aquino and the ghosts of Mamasapano)

Aquino was criticized heavily for his perceived lack of empathy for the dead, his role in the operation, and for allowing his friend, suspended PNP chief Alan Purisima, to play a part in the high-stakes operation.

In contrast, Roxas, then interior secretary, was left in the dark and only found out about the operation when the body count rose.

The President saw his numbers dip the lowest in the aftermath of Exodus.

Another hot issue against Aquino and his administration was the so-called “laglag-bala scam” at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), wherein airport authorities supposed connived to plant bullets in unwitting passengers.

During the survey period, Roxas and the LP was also accused of being behind disqualification cases against Poe, who before December led all presidential preference surveys.– with research by Michael Bueza, Reynaldo Santos, and Wayne Manuel/Rappler.com

RELATED LINKS:

On Duterte's trail: Where did he go? Wha did he do?

On Grace Poe's trail: Where did she go? What did she do?

On Binay's trail: Where did he go? What did he go?

It's no secret that trying to access official government records is no easy task in the Philippines. But towards the end of President Benigno Aquino III's term, obtaining copies of public documents has been painstakingly harder than ever. 

Government agencies craft more restrictive regulations, which may not necessarily deny the public their right to information, but strongly discourage them to uphold it.

Case in point, Rappler's requests for copies of the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) of members of the House of Representatives have been repeatedly denied, with rules specific only to the House cited as reason. 

House Secretary-General Marilyn B. Yap, who heads the office that archives the bureau's SALNs, told Rappler in a letter they cannot issue a copy of the SALN, following Special Order No. 06-14. 

Issued on May 22, 2014 by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, the order assigns members to the House SALN Review and Compliance Committee. Among the functions of the committee is to set guidelines on public access to the SALNs of House members and employees. (READ: House leaders lukewarm to SALN release) 

Thus, as Yap wrote in the letter, their office cannot approve the request, as it will "pre-empt the action of the Committee." She also noted that the rules the committee had created are still awaiting approval by plenary – more than a year after the order was released.

The Sec-Gen advised Rappler to request SALNs from individual House members but when we did, some lawmakers sent our requests back to Yap's office.

No name search

Another public office that has set policies that discourage access to information is the Land Registration Authority (LRA).

What used to be a government office instrumental to cracking anomalies, which led to the impeachment of government bigwigs like former president and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and former chief justice Renato Corona, LRA has become less transparent. 

Following LRA Circular No. 19-2012, the agency has prohibited a "general name search" of land titles. LRA said this may be done only after a request from a court or an agency that "performs investigative functions" is approved. 

This means that those making a request may access documents only if they are able to provide a specific title number.

LRA said a title number can be secured from the local government's Assessor's Office. But based on journalists' experiences, this office – more often than not – protects the interests of seating public officials.

LRA employees told Rappler that the tighter measure was imposed soon after Corona's impeachment. 

Similarly, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has also banned the media from conducting a "name search" of companies. Journalists would now have to know the name of a public official's companies and counter-check them with the SEC database.

Going online

Despite being in the digital age, some government offices still require request and response letters to be delivered personally, via mail or fax, instead of simply being emailed. 

Most government agencies that Rappler (and probably other media) has dealt with refuse to transact online. Among other reasons, they said they are not connected to the Internet or that processing would be faster if a hard copy of a letter was instead given. 

On average, requests are processed between two days to two weeks, but the backlog lies with delivery.

Response letters or available documents are not immediately sent to those who make requests because they are coursed through snail mail or the concerned government offices wait for them to be picked up – sometimes without notifying the requesting party. (READ: How a freedom of information law slows the flow of information) 

FOI status

In his message pertaining to the 2016 national budget, President Benigno Aquino III again urged Congress to pass the Freedom of Information Act, saying, "Transparency leads to a more responsive government."

Aquino said this will ensure the "permanency" of the transparency policies that are already in place. (READ: Why the Philippines needs a freedom of information law)

The law's passage still looks bleak in the 16th Congress, however.

The Senate already passed its Senate Bill 1733 on third reading on March 10, 2014. But the House's version has barely moved in a committee's technical working group. – Rappler.com  

Inside Track is Rappler's intelligencer on people, events, places and everything of public interest. It's a take-off from Newsbreak's Inside Track section. Contributions are most welcome. Just send bits of information to investigative@rappler.com.

Part 1

MANILA, Philippines – The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) interviewed on Thursday, January 7, the first batch of candidates vying for the position of outgoing Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Martin Villarama Jr.

As Villarama leaves his post on January 16, the JBC has to assess 16 candidates who can replace the retiring associate justice.

The candidates were scheduled for public interviews for two days, with the first 8 interviewed on Thursday, January 7, and the remaining 8 on Friday, January 8.

Here's a quick profile of the first batch of the JBC interviewees. Images below are lifted from the livestream provided by the Supreme Court.

JOE-SANTOS B. BISQUERA

Private law practitioner/lecturer
Law degree from the University of the East

• Holds an MBA degree from UP
• Among the nominees in 2012 to fill in the position left by then-promoted Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, but was not chosen
• Was dean of the law departments of the University of Manila and University of Perpetual Help, and was previously associated with companies like FUJI XEROX Philippines Inc and Motorola Philippines Inc

ALFREDO BENJAMIN S. CAGUIOA

Department of Justice Secretary
Law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University

• A founding partner of the Caguioa & Gatmaytan law firm, and son of former Court of Appeals justice Eduardo Caguioa
• Was appointed Chief Presidential Legal Counsel in January 2013, and then Justice Secretary in 2015 after the resignation of Leila de Lima
• Was a classmate of President Benigno Aquino III from grade school to college (both took Economics) at Ateneo de Manila. He also helped in Aquino’s presidential campaign in 2010. 

AMPARO M. CABOTAJE-TANG

Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice
Law degree from San Beda College

• First served the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) as a trial attorney in 1982, then worked her way to become the most senior Assistant Solicitor General
• At the OSG, she was involved in cases such as the coco levy fund and the plea bargain deal between the Ombudsman and former military comptroller Carlos Garcia
• Was appointed Sandiganbayan associate justice in 2012, then presiding justice in 2013 – bypassing the more senior magistrates
• Prior to working at the OSG, she worked at the Insurance Commission in 1979, then moved to become a legal assistant at the Supreme Court until 1982

CINCHONA G. CRUZ-GONZALES

CIBAC partylist representative
Law degree from San Beda College

• Was legal counsel at the OSG from 1994 to 2006
• In Congress, has been representing the Citizen’s Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) party list since 2007
• Used to have weekly radio programs where she was providing free legal counsel

GERARD A. MOSQUERA

Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon
Law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University

• Placed 2nd in the 1992 Bar examinations
• Has a Masters of Law degree from Kings College London and a Masters of Public Administration degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government
• Was appointed Deputy Ombudsman in 2012, replacing Francis Jardeleza who had been appointed Solicitor General
• Served as commissioner and legal department head of the Presidential Commission on Good Government from 2010 to 2012
• From 2004 to 2010, served as a United Nations Adviser for Anti-Corruption and was Chief of Party of a United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded anti-corruption project in East Timor
• Grandson of former justice secretary Quirico Abeto

APOLINARIO D. BRUSELAS JR

Court of Appeals Associate Justice
Law degree from the University of the Philippines

• Prior to his appointment in CA in 2005, he used to worked at the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Quezon City regional trial court
• He was nominated in 2013 as a candidate for the Sandiganbayan presiding justice vacancy, but lost to Cabotaje-Tang
• He was also shortlisted for a vacancy in the Supreme Court twice – in 2011 and 2014 – but lost in both occassions
• He earned an award for Judicial Excellence in 2003

ROSMARI D. CARANDANG

Court of Appeals Associate Justice
Law degree from the University of the Philippines

• Placed 9th in the 1975 Bar examination
• Was nominated for a vacancy in the Supreme Court thrice – in 2011, 2012, and 2014 – but lost on all occasions
• Became a subject of a complaint in 2008 and was alleged to have asked for money before she ruled in favor of the complainant in a case

MARIA CRISTINA J. CORNEJO

Sandiganbayan Associate Justice
Law degree from the University of Santo Tomas

• A Ministry of Justice recipient of a Merit Award, a Civil Service Commission Lingkod Bayan awardee, and Supreme Court Centennial awardee for Judicial Excellence
• Prior to her appointment as Associate Justice of the Sandiganbayan in 2010, she served as executive judge of the Regional Trial Court of Makati City.
• One of the justices who acquitted pork barrel queen Janet Lim Napoles in the Kevlar helmet case.

As per the 1987 Constitution, those who will be appointed to the SC should be natural born Filipino citizens, at least 40 years old, and have at least 15 years of experience as a lower court judge or a law practitioner in the country. – Rappler.com

See Part 1 here

MANILA, Philippines – The search for the replacement of outgoing Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Martin Villarama Jr continued on Friday, January 8, with the interview of the second batch of candidates for the vacated position.

The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) interviewed the last 8 of the 16 candidates to conclude the two-day public interview of candidates who can replace the retiring associate justice.

The first 8 candidates were interviewed on Thursday, January 7.

Here's a quick profile of the last batch of JBC interviewees. Images below were lifted from the livestream provided by the Supreme Court, except for the first two whose interviews were not covered by the livestream.

STEPHEN C. CRUZ

Court of Appeals associate justice
Law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University

• Appointed in CA in 2006
• Also a member of the New York State Bar and the American Bar Association since 1982
• Started his legal career in Malacañang as a presidential staff legal office in 1977
• Worked as presiding judge (then vice-executive staff) of the Lucena City regional trial court from 2000 until his appointment in CA
• Nominated in 2014 to replace outgoing Supreme Court Associate Justice Roberto Abad
• Penned the 2015 resolution that asked Senator Antonio Trillanes IV to comment on the contempt charge filed by ousted Makati mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr

FLORIN T. HILBAY

Solicitor General
Law degree from the University of the Philippines

• Appointed as acting Solicitor General in August 2014 to then newly-appointed SC Associate Justice Francis Jardeleza; promoted as Solicitor General in June 2015
• Ranked first in the 1999 Bar examinations
• Obtained a Masters of Law degree from Yale Law School in 2005
• At OSG, he defended the Reproductive Health (RH) law during oral arguments before the SC, and handled several cases of the government including the Disbursement Acceleration Program, Priority Development Assistance Fund, Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, and the Bangsamoro cases
• Before joining the Office of the Solicitor General in 2002, he worked as a law clerk to SC justice Vicente Mendoza

REYNALDO B. DAWAY

Quezon City RTC presiding judge

• Nominated in 2014 to replace outgoing Supreme Court Associate Justice Roberto Abad
• As RTC presiding judge, he handled cases such as the breach of patent rights filed by an inventor against Avida Land, and the case on a contract between Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and Maynilad

MARIFLOR P. PUNZALAN-CASTILLO

Court of Appeals associate justice
Law degree from the University of the Philippines

• Completed her Basic Evidence Course in the National Judicial College, University of Nevada
• Appointed to CA in 2004
• Began her legal career at the Office of the Ombudsman, where she worked starting 1979
• Moved to the courts afterwards – presiding judge of Metropolitan Trial Court in Quezon City from 1993 to 1999, then presiding judge of Quezon City RTC from 1999 to 2004

MARIA GRACIA M. PULIDO-TAN

former Commission on Audit chairperson
Law degree from the University of the Philippines

• Obtained a Masters of Law degree from New York University in 1981
• Was the founding and senior partner of Tan & Venturanza Law Offices
• Worked as Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) commissioner and Department of Finance (DOF) undersecretary
• Became independent director of banks, and worked for different projects abroad
• Served in COA from 2011 until she retired in 2015
• Under her term, COA produced the first comprehensive report on how the discretionary development funds of senators and congressmen had been misused in the last 3 years of the Arroyo administration
• Nominated in 2014 to replace outgoing Supreme Court Associate Justice Roberto Abad

ALEX L. QUIROZ

Sandiganbayan associate justice
Law degree from Manuel Luis Quezon University

• Appointed to Sandiganbayan in 2008
• Before Sandiganbayan, he was a presiding judge at the Pasig regional trial court
• Also worked for the following offices: Office of the City Fiscal of Manila in 1985, Office of the Secretary-General of the House of Representatives in 1987, Office of the Solicitor General in 1988, and Pasig Metro Trial Court judge in 1992
• Cases he handled in the lower courts include the murder case of actress Nida Blanca, the kidnapping case of American national Jeffrey Schilling by the Abu Sayyaf Group, and the probate case of former president Ferdinand Marcos’ estate
• Nominated for the vacated Sandiganbayan presiding justice post in 2013

ANDRES B. REYES JR

Court of Appeals presiding justice
Law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University

• Also holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the Philippine Women's University
• After law school, he worked at the Office of the Ombudsman
• Appointed judge of Metropolitan Trial Court in Manakti in 1987, and judge of Metropolitan Trial Court in San Mateo, Rizal in 1990
• Appointed as CA associate justice in 1999, and promoted to presiding justice in 2010
• Nominated in 2014 to replace outgoing Supreme Court Associate Justice Roberto Abad
• Grandson of former SC justice Alex Reyes, and son of former CA presiding justice Andres Reyes Sr

JOSE C. REYES JR

Court of Appeals associate justice
Law degree from San Beda College

• Appointed in CA in 2003
• Before CA, he worked as a Metropolitan Trial Court judge in Pasig and Regional Trial Court judge in Rizal
• Was a candidate in 2012 to replace then-SC Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, and in 2014 to replace outgoing Supreme Court Associate Justice Roberto Abad
• Accused by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV of accepting a bribe just to stop the suspension of former Makati City mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr

As per the 1987 Constitution, those who will be appointed to the SC should be natural born Filipino citizens, at least 40 years old, and with at least 15 years of experience as a lower court judge or a law practitioner in the country. – Rappler.com