Timeline: Subic rape case, Nov 3, 2005 - Dec 4, 2006

ByGMA News Research What follows is a timeline of the Subic rape case trial based on public and published record testimonies of the witnesses for the defense and prosecution. SOURCES: GMA News, GMANews.tv, criminal complaint, INQ7, Inquirer, Supreme Court PIO, Sun*Star, Manila Standard, Philippine Headline News Online November 3, 2005 * A 22-year-old complainant (later referred to by the media as "Nicole") filed before the Olongapo City prosecutor's office a criminal complaint for gang rape against US military servicemen Chad Carpentier, Daniel Smith, Corey Burris, Albert Lara, Keith Silkwood, and another unknown suspect, all from USS Essex. The crime allegedly occurred in Subic on November 1, 2005. * The United States Embassy in Manila issued a statement saying the "U.S. takes reports of violations of U.S. and Philippine law by U.S. military personnel very seriously, and will fully cooperate with the Philippine authorities in the investigation of this incident." November 7, 2005 * Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye gave the assurance that there will be no whitewash in the investigation of six US servicemen allegedly involved in the gang-rape of a young Filipina at the Subic Bay Freeport. * Timoteo Soriano, driver of the Starex van where members of the US Marines allegedly raped the complainant, retracted his earlier sworn statement accusing the suspects of gang rape. He said the police pressured him to say gang rape in his sworn statement. November 8, 2005 * Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Rafael Seguis, accompanied by Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño, handed over to the US embassy subpoenas against Keith Silkwood, Daniel Smith, Albert Lara, Corey Burris, Chad Carpentier and Dominic Duplantis. * Nicole, who was at the custody of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, received her summons through its legal department. November 9, 2005 * Nicole's mother, accompanied by one of her brothers, appeared on GMA 7's "24 Oras" to ask for justice for her daughter. She asked GMA-7 to show her face on television. "Ako na po mismo ang naglakas-loob na lumantad kasi para sa anak ko. Buhay ng anak ko kaya ipaglalaban ko para malaman ng tao kung ano ang pinagdaanan ng anak ko kung paano siya ginahasa," she said. She stressed that her daughter is not a sex worker, that she has a decent job and that she just on vacation in Subic. She vowed to fight for justice and asked the for the president's help. * Gabriela Party-list Rep. Liza Maza filed a resolution urging President Arroyo to "uphold the dignity of Filipino women" by asserting the Philippine jurisdiction and custody of the suspects. The resolution also urges the President to stop all joint military exercises between the US and the Philippines until the rape case is resolved. * A senior SBMA official said the American suspects had made "unofficial requests" for their transfer to Okinawa. The Embassy later denied this. November 10, 2005 * Undersecretary Zosimo Jesus Paredes, together with three other staff of the VFA Commission met with the six US servicemen who are facing charges of rape. November 11, 2005 * GMA-7 reported that lawyer Katrina Legarda will handle Nicole's case. November 14, 2005 * Businessman Joseph Khonghun, brother of Subic Mayor Jeffrey Khonghun, surfaced to dispute the driver’s statement. Khonghun said the driver was not coerced to execute his earlier statement. November 15, 2005 * Senator Rodolfo Biazon asserted that the suspects should be under the custody of the Philippine government. * Atty. Katrina Legarda, lawyer of the complainant, sent a letter to Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez asking for a transfer of venue of the preliminary investigation from Subic to Manila. Legarda expressed her apprehension that the case might be dismissed by Olongapo prosecutors, citing "previous experience" in which they had dropped rape and other sexual abuse cases. November 16, 2005 * Atty. Legarda accused Sec. Gonzalez of protecting the American suspects by ordering them to be placed under the US Embassy immediately upon its request. Gonzalez denied this: "She's lying! I told SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator Calimlim to hold these people for inquest. Why did Calimlim release the Americans without a written request from the US? That may be the lapse," Gonzalez said. November 17, 2005 * The lawyers of suspects Lance Corporal Dominic Duplantis and Keith Silkwood filed a motion for extension of time to submit affidavit. November 18, 2005 * The Olongapo Prosecutor's Office rejected the suspects' petition to extend the deadline for submitting their counter-affidavits. November 23, 2005 Preliminary investigation at the Olongapo City Hall of Justice * Both Nicole and the accused were not present. Katrina Legarda, lead counsel for the complainant, was not there also. * The complainant's lawyers were an all-woman team in black suits. The suspects' lawyers were all men wearing barong. * Only three witnesses were present: SBMA security officer Noel Paule, security guards Gerald Muyot and Tomas Corpuz Jr of Neptune Bar and Restaurant where the woman and the soldiers had met. * The prosecutor submitted the supplemental affidavit of Fe Castro, one of the witnesses who saw Nicole when the suspects unloaded her from the Starex van. * The lawyers of Lara and Burris said they have witnesses who could prove their clients were not in the van when the crime happened. * Militants held a day-long rally outside the city hall of justice. November 24, 2005 * Olongapo City Prosecutor Prudencio Jalandoni declared that the driver of the Starex van is already a suspect. November 25, 2005 * Nicole's lawyers filed a motion to compel the suspects to undergo DNA testing. November 29, 2005 Second Preliminary investigation at the Olongapo City Hall of Justice * All the accused, except for Smith, submitted their counter affidavits. They denied raping the victim. * Atty. Legarda was irked when she found out that the counter affidavits were sworn in Manila. She said when her client asked that her affidavit be sworn in Manila, the DOJ did not allow it: "I feel threatened with the DOJ secretary. He has not granted anything that we have asked before. From passports, to IDs, to having custody of the American servicemen when all of this is in accordance with the treaty. I don't know where a Filipina can go to when the secretary isn't there to help," she said. * Jalandoni denied the motion requiring the suspects to undergo DNA tests. He said the preliminary investigations did not yet require "evidenciary matter." December 5, 2006 * GMA News got hold of a copy of the initial results of the investigation conducted by the US Naval Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS). The document contained Smith's admission that he had consensual sex with Nicole. December 9, 2005 * Last preliminary hearing of the Subic rape case. Neither Nicole nor the suspects appeared in court. Soriano was also absent. December 13, 2005 * Lara and Burris, accompanied by their lawyers, appeared before the Olongapo City Prosecutor's office. They said they wanted to "show good faith" and prove that Lara is a Mexican, and not a white American. December 27, 2005 * Jalandoni filed rape charges at the Olongapo Regional Trial Court against the following: o Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith o Ssgt Chad Carpentier o Lance Cpl Dominic Duplantis o Lance Cpl Keith Silkwood o Timoteo Soriano, Jr., van driver; charged as co-conspirator * Lance Corporals Corey Burris and Albert Lara, initially named as suspects were cleared after evidence indicated they were not in the van during the alleged incident. * The US Embassy confirmed Burris and Lara, who were cleared in the Subic rape case, already left the Philippines. December 29, 2005 * The US Embassy said Burris and Lara had already left the country and are already at the US base in Okinawa, Japan. January 2, 2006 * Foreign Affairs Secretary Romulo said that the Department of Foreign Affairs remains committed to invoking the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement to obtain physical custody of the suspects in the Subic Case: "Based on the opinion of the Department of Justice, in which we are in full agreement, we continue to assert that this is an extraordinary case under the VFA and that the Philippines should have actual, physical custody." January 3, 2006 * The Subic rape case was raffled off and assigned to Olongapo RTC Branch 73, handled by Judge Renato Dilag, former lawyer of Imelda Marcos in one of her ill-gotten wealth cases. Dilag said he will demand the custody of the four marines. * Benjamin Formoso, Smith's lawyer, filed a motion for judicial determination of probable cause. * Francisco Rodrigo, Carpentier's lawyer, filed a motion to defer the proceedings. * The same motion was filed by John Coluso, lawyer for Silkwood and Duplantis. * Jose Raulito Paras, Soriano's lawyer, filed three motions: o motion to quash the information of charges o motion for judicial determination of probable cause o motion for the deferment of the issuance of warrant of arrest January 13, 2006 * Judge Dilag issued a warrant of arrest for the four US Marines, but cleared Soriano. January 16, 2006 * Invoking Article 5, Paragraph 6 of the Visiting Forces Agreement, the US embassy said that its government has decided that it will retain custody of the four US Marines. * GMA News reported that Atty. Legarda's group has stopped handling the Subic rape case. The complainant's mother told GMA News that despite this, they will go ahead with the case. * Formoso filed a motion to inhibit against Dilag. January 17, 2006 * The media reported on US government's refusal to surrender the custody of the four US Marines. * The League of Filipino Students, in a protest rally near the US embassy, symbolically served a warrant of arrest against the alleged rapists. January 18, 2006 * The media reported that Atty. Coluso, lawyer of Duplantis and Silkwood, filed before the DOJ their respective petitions for review of the ruling of the Olongapo City Prosecutor's Office indicting them for rape. Carpentier was reported to have filed his own motion for review earlier. They have also reportedly filed before the Olongapo RTC a motion to quash the warrant of arrest. * Activists held a series of protests infront of the US Embassy in reaction to the US government's refusal to surrender the custody of the four US Marines. January 19, 2006 * The legislative oversight committee on the VFA voted to terminate the VFA between the US and the Philippines and to stop all joint military exercises for the duration of the Sunic rape trial. The joint resolution will be presented to the plenary of the Senate and House of Representatives for approval. January 26, 2006 * Judge Dilag withdrew the January 13 warrant of arrest against the four US Marines and deferred hearings on the case until after the DOJ has completed its review of the state prosecutors' findings. March 5, 2006 * Nicole faced the media to deny allegations that she is a sex worker. She asked the government's help to win the case and called on Soriano to help her. She said she wants her rapists to be imprisoned for life. She was accompanied by her new lawyer, Atty Evalyn Ursua, among others. March 15, 2006 * Judge Dilag set the arraignment of the case on March 24. March 17, 2006 * Attys. Evalyn Ursua, Honorato Aquino and Anna Liza Gonzales filed an omnibus motion asking Olongapo Judge Renato Dilag to declare Article 5, Paragraph 6, of the VFA unconstitutional. This provision states that the custody of the accused resides in the US military and sets a one-year limit for the court to resolve cases involving American military personnel. March 19, 2006 * DOJ Sec. Gonzalez indicated that charges may be dropped against three of the four US Marines. March 22, 2006 * Judge Dilag junked the March 17 motion of the victim's lawyers. He also dismissed their request to issue new arrest warrants and defer the March 24 arraignment. Ursua said they would appeal Dilag's decision before the Supreme Court. March 23, 2006 * Judge Dilag inhibited himself from the case after Nicole's lawyers asked him to do so because his son worked with the Rodrigo Berenguer and Guno Law officers, the defense counsel of one of the suspects, S/Sgt Chad Carpentier. March 27, 2006 * Sec. Gonzalez, in a letter, asked the SC to allow the transfer of the case to Manila, saying that the lack of judges in Olongapo City could delay proceedings. March 28, 2006 * The Supreme Court ordered the transfer of the criminal trial of the Subic rape case to the Regional Trial Court of Makati City. April 3, 2006 * The case was raffled off and assigned to Makati Regional Trial Court 139 handled by Judge Benajmin Pozon. April 17, 2006 * Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said he recommended the reinvestigation of Timoteo Soriano, the driver of the van, to see if he could be charged as an accomplice. (INQ7) April 18, 2006 * In a resolution of the petitions for review filed by the suspects, DOJ Secretary Raul Gonzalez downgraded Chad Carpentier, Dominic Duplantis, and Keith Silkwood as mere accessory to the crime, which is two degrees lower than being a principal suspect. Smith remained a principal suspect. April 19, 2006 * Olongapo City prosecutor Prudencio Jalandoni said he would quit the Subic rape case. He was disappointed when DOJ downgraded the charges against Carpentier, Duplantis, and Silkwood. April 27, 2006 * A day before the scheduled arraignment of the accused US Marines, known personalities joined the panel of private prosecutors: Former Vice President Teofisto Guingona, former Senator Rene Saguisag, and former UP College of Law Dean Pacifico Agabin. Guingona and Saguisag voted against the renewal of the US Bases in 1991. Guingona voted against the VFA in 1999. April 28, 2006 * US servicemen Smith, Silkwood, Duplantis and Carpentier appeared before the Makati RTC for the arraignment of the Subic rape case. The court entered a "not guilty" plea for the four principal accused as they did not enter any plea. This was their first public appeareance. * Judge Pozon ruled as without merit the motion filed by DOJ recommending the downgrading of charges against Carpentier, Duplantis, and Silkwood. * Pozon turned down the defense panel's request to direct the victim to appear in court and pinpoint the accused. On the other hand, he turned down the prosecution's request for the court to take custody of the accused and put the US servicemen behind bars. May 9-10, 2006 * Media reported that two state prosecutors in the Subic rape case have resigned: Feliciano Aspi, chair of the prosecution panel; and Christopher Garvida, assistant city prosecutor. Both cited a heavy workload as their reason for resigning. * Judge Pozon trashed the prosecution's motion to declare unconstitutional a provision in the VFA which stipulates that the accused (Americans) should be in the custody of the US. June 2, 2006 * First day of the Subic Rape case trial: the complainant and the four accused (Smith, Duplantis, Silkwood and Carpentier) showed up at the Makati Regional Trial Court. It was the first time that Nicole and the accused met after six months when the rape was allegedly committed. * Neptune Bar security guard Tomas Corpuz Jr. became the first prosecution witness to take the stand. He positively identified the victim as the woman he saw on the bar's dance floor ("pasuray-suray", "amoy alak") on November 1, 2005. * Neptune Bar security guard Gerald Muyot testified that he saw Smith carrying a nearly unconscious woman on his back, out of the club and into a green Starex van. June 5, 2006 * Defense lawyers cross examined prosecution witness Gerald Muyot. Nicole was seen crying inside the courtroom during Muyot's cross examination. * The prosecution presented US Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) resident agent Ronald Beltz. June 7, 2006 * Ronald Beltz, Tony Ramos, Brian Curley and Guy Papageorge--NCIS agents summoned to testify against the accused American marines--did not show up at the Makati RTC for the Subic rape trial. The US Embassy claimed it was still ironing out some diplomatic issues with the Department of Foreign Affairs. * Judge Pozon ruled that the one-year prescription period began when the case was filed in court on December 27, 2005, and not when arraignment started on April 28, 2006. June 8, 2006 * Witness Joseph Khonghun, a businessman, said he saw Nicole being unloaded by Americans from a Starex van at the Alava Pier. He identified the accused as the Americans he saw carrying the victim out of the van and dumping her on the pavement. Khonghun also identified the Nicole, whom he said was left behind with her pants pulled down and worn the wrong way. He was the first person on record to speak to the complainant after the alleged rape. He said she did not say she was raped. * Nicole tearfully walked out of the courtroom as Khonghun recounted what he saw on the night of November 1, 2005. She returned later after Khonghun's testimony. June 9, 2006 * Reenactment of what happened on the night of the alleged rape, as per the account of Neptune Bar security guard Gerald Muyot. * Subic Bay Freeport bike patrolmen Noel Paule and Jaime Avila testified before the court. Paule found Nicole at the Alava Pier, crying and apparently drunk. He said she embraced him and told him not to leave her--"Dito ka lang, huwag mo akong iwan. Pag nalaman ito ng mama ko, papatayin ako." He said she also told him "sabi ko sa kanila, tama na, tama na. Pero sige pa rin sila." She did not tell him that she had been raped. Avila said he saw the complainant embracing Paule and crying. June 14, 2006 * The US government allowed US NCIS agents to testify on the Subic Rape case. One of them, Guy Papageorge, testified that Smith admitted to having consensual sex with an "Asian female" inside a Starex van while his buddies cheered him on. Papageorge said Smith did not know the woman's name. June 15, 2006 * US NCIS Special Agent Brian Curley and Antonio Ramos, an NCIS investigator, testified for the prosecution. June 16, 2006 * SBMA chief investigator Paquito Torres and evidence custodian Genevieve Puno took the witness stand. * GMA News gets an exclusive interview with Nicole. June 19, 2006 * SBMA investigator Ramon Paje testified that Nicole was very drunk when he saw her in the early hours of November 2, 2005. He explained that when he wrote "hardly intoxicated" as a description of Nicole in his spot report, what he actually meant was that she was really drunk. * SBMA chief investigator Paquito Torres continued his testimony, insisting that he didn't coerce van driver Timoteo Soriano Jr. into saying that he (Soriano) witnessed a gang rape. June 20, 2006 * Christopher Mills, the US Navy engineman who invited Nicole and her stepsister to Subic, testified for the prosecution. He identified Silkwood as the man he saw dancing with Nicole. He said the she went missing from the bar, and that he found her hours later at the hospital. * NCIS Special Agent Bruce Warshawsky also testified. June 22, 2006 * The prosecution presented the investigator who took the photographs of (among others) Nicole's underwear and jeans, and a used condom. The defense noted that these pieces of clothing did not have any tears, which could indicate struggle, nor seminal stains. * Nicole did not show up in court for the first time since the hearings began. Her lawyer said she was resting. June 23, 2006 * Nicole's stepsister, Anna Liza Franco, testified that she saw Nicole dancing with one of the accused, then lost sight of her, and found her hours later at their hotel in a state of shock. June 26, 2006 * Continuation of Franco's testimony: a certain "Dr. Estrera" said snide remarks to the victim upon learning that she was to be tested in connection with a rape incident; a certain "Ben Natividad" suggested that the victim should just accept payment for her ordeal. June 27, 2006 * Bartender Roger Sanidad testified. * Franco returned to the witness stand and insisted that the victim was heavily drunk. June 29, 2006 * Dr. Rolando Ortiz II of the James Gordon Memorial Hospital in Olongapo testified. He was the doctor who examined the victim 33 hours after the alleged rape and found that she had bruises on her arms and right leg, as well as contusions in the genital area. June 30, 2006 * Forensic expert Dr. Raquel Fortun was presented by the prosecution as an expert witness. The most part of the hearing was spent with the prosecution giving a rundown of her credentials and the defense questioning her qualifications as an "expert". July 3, 2006 * The defense wrapped up their cross-examination of Nicole's stepsister. July 4, 2006 * Judge Pozon adjourned the hearing early. * The accused and the defense team had a small party at the US Embassy in celebration of the US Independence Day. July 5, 2006 * GMA7 aired an exclusive interview with one of the accused-- Staff Sgt. Chad Carpentier. July 6, 2006 * Nicole took the stand and broke down in tears a couple of times as she recounted what transpired on the night of November 1, 2005. She identified Smith as her rapist in the course of her testimony. July 7, 2006 * The trial was suspended after Nicole failed to attend the hearing due to severe traumatic stress. July 10, 2006 * Nicole resumed her testimony. Recounting what happened in the van on November 1, She said she screamed and tried to push away Smith, who was already on top of her. She also heard laughter in the van. The next thing she remembered after regaining consciousness was that she was on the pavement with her pants worn the wrong way. * Nicole struck Smith repeatedly with her bag. She claimed Smith tripped her as she entered the court room. To avoid a repeat of the incident, Judge Pozon changed the seating arrangement of the accused. July 11, 2006 * Forensic expert Dr. Raquel Fortun testified that the injuries Nicole sustained in the genital area are consistent with non-consensual sexual intercourse. July 13, 2006 * Nicole resumed her testimony, saying her life changed for the worse after the (alleged) rape. The lives of other family members have also been disrupted, as they attend to her and run the canteen she used to manage. * The defense got Dr. Fortun to agree during cross examination that genital injuries could also be sustained during consensual, "rough" sex. * Anti-crime advocate Teresita Ang-See approached the accused during recess, admonishing them for laughing while Nicole was in the same room, crying. July 14, 2006 * Nicole's cross examination: Only the lawyer of Lance Cpl. Smith, Patricia Formoso, questioned Nicole during cross-examination. The defense sought to establish that Nicole had selective memory. The questioning lasted in less than an hour. * Judge Pozon also asked Nicole some questions, particularly on how Smith touched and kissed her. July 17, 2006 * Timoteo Soriano Jr., the driver of the van where the alleged rape occurred, did not appear at the Makati Regional Trial court. Soriano's lawyer, Jose Raulito Paras, told the court that Soriano was invoking his right against self incrimination. Soriano was slated to be a prosecution witness. However, he refused to testify as Nicole's camp is also seeking his inclusion as an accused in the rape case. It may be recalled that Soriano recanted his first affidavit, where he recalled what he knew about the (gang) rape. He is now standing by his second affidavit: that he never said he witnessed a gang rape. * In an exclusive interview with GMA News, van driver Timoteo Soriano Jr. said he fears for his life and his family. July 18, 2006 * Police Chief Inspector Dr. Francisco Supe Jr., head of the DNA section of the PNP Crime Laboratory told the court that body fluid containing Nicole’s DNA material was found in the crotch area of her underwear and both sides of the condom supposedly used by Smith. July 20, 2006 * Cross examination of Supe; defense refuses to submit the accused's DNA samples for testing. Police Senior Insp, Edmar de la Torre, also a forensic DNA analysts, also testified. July 25, 2006 * Dr. Kenneth Go, a toxicologist testified that Nicole was too drunk to have consentual sex on the night that the alleged rape happened. * Insp. Maria Theresa Bodo of the the Crime Laboratory of the Philippine National Police extracted blood sample for DNA testing from Smith after Pozon granted the prosecution's motion. July 27, 2006 * The prosecution asked the court to include Soriano, the van driver, as one of the accused van after the DOJ released a resolution saying there is enough basis to charge him. * The defense cross-examined Dr. Go. He maintained that Nicole could not have consented to the sexual act because she was too drunk. August 17, 2006 * Inspector Edmar De La Torre of the Philippine National Police-Crime Laboratory testified that DNA from a blood sample taken from US Marine Lance Corporal Daniel Smith matched the DNA material found on the underwear of Nicole. September 11, 2006 * Daniel Smith maintained in court that he had consensual sex with Nicole inside a van on the night of November 1, 2005. September 12, 2006 * US Marine Lance Corporal Justin Michael Bamberger, 23, a defense witness, testified that Nicole told him that she was raped by US marines. * Bamberger initially said that in Nicole's first text message to him, she dismissed as "a stupid rumor" reports of the rape. But in a cross-examination by prosecution lawyer Hazel Valdez, Bamberger admitted that Nicole later texted him that she was the woman reported to have been raped by a group of US marines. September 14, 2006 * "Nicole" walked out of the Makati City regional trial courtroom. The victim and her mother were reportedly not satisfied with the performance of the government prosecutors. * The court accepted as an expert witness for the defense Dr. Teresita Sanchez, forensic obstetrician and gynecologist. September 15, 2006 * Activists held a rally against the government prosecutors. The protesters demanded that the prosecutors, except for Atty. Hazel Valdez, be replaced. * Nicole and her mother did not attend the scheduled hearing, which was eventually postponed. In the evening, Nicole aired to the media her complaints against the government prosecutors. September 18, 2006 * Dr. Teresita Sanchez, forensic obstetrician and gynecologist who testified for the defense, said the injuries sustained by Nicole do not suggest that she was raped. * State prosecutor Emilie delos Santos called Nicole and her mother "ingrates," while Sec. Gonzalez defended the prosecutors. September 19, 2006 * Staff Sergeant Chad Carpentier testified that Nicole voluntarily went with Smith to board the van they had rented. He said he did not view Nicole as a victim, but a "professional preying on the vulnerability of Smith." * Nicole said she will not attend the hearings until the state prosecutors are replaced. September 20, 2006 * Gonzalez issued a memorandum ordering the NBI to investigate the allegation of Nicole's mother that the state prosecutors convinced her to agree to an out-of-court settlement with the American suspects. September 21, 2006 * In his testimony, Lance Corporal Keith Silkwood denied allegations that he carried Nicole out of their rented van "like a pig" after the alleged rape took place. * Nicole's mother went to the DOJ to formally ask Gonzalez to replace the government prosecutors. September 22, 2006 * Lance Corporal Dominic Duplantis testified that he saw Nicole and Daniel Smith kissing and laughing before having sex. * Gonzalez said Nicole's mother could face libel charges for her accusations against the state prosecutors. September 25, 2006 * The defense rested its case with its medical expert, Dr. Sanchez, wrapping up her testimony. She maintained that Nicole could not have been raped by a US serviceman because of the absence of injuries in between her thighs and knees. October 5, 2006 * Judge Benjamin Pozon tentatively set to November 27, 2006 the the promulgation of the decision on teh Subic rape case. This date fell exactly a month away from December 27, which would mark a year since the rape charges against the US Marines were filed at the Olongapo Regional Trial Court, the first court to handle the case. October 9, 2006 * Justice Sec. Gonzalez announced that Prosecutor Hazel Valdez has been removed from the government's prosecution panel in the Subic rape case. Valdez opposed the state prosecutors' decision to cancel the prosecution's rebuttal. October 11, 2006 * Nicole's supporters formed the Justice for Nicole, Justice for our Nation Coalition. October 17, 2006 * USS Essex and two other US Navy amphibious ships docked at the Subic port. The ships carried more than 3,000 American soldiers who will participate in the US-RP bilateral exercises. November 1, 2006 * Exactly a year after she was allegedly raped, Niicole led a protest rally organized by the Task Force Subic Rape inside the Subic Bay Freeport. November 2, 2006 * Manila policemen violently dispersed a Subic rape anniversary commemoration rally by the League of Filipino Students in front of the DOJ. November 15, 2006 * Nicole met with women legislators led by Liza Maza and Cynthia Villar at the House of Representatives. November 24, 2006 * Citing time constraints, Judge Pozon rescheduled from November 27 to December 4 the promulgation of judgment on the Subic rape case. - GMANews.TV