Atong Ang walks out of jail

Charlie ‘Atong’ Ang, a co-accused in the P4.1 billion plunder charge against deposed President Joseph Estrada, was released from detention Friday afternoon. The move came shortly after the Sandiganbayan Special Division approved his petition for probation. The anti-graft court, on the recommendation of Quezon City chief probation and parole officer Ceres P. Añonuevo, had ordered Ang placed under a two-year probation in lieu of the two years and four months to six years jail term meted against him after he pleaded guilty to a lesser offense of corruption of public officials in relation to indirect bribery. Ang was formally released a little after 12 noon to his lawyers Alfredo Villamor and Ruth Castelo. He said his first plan was to visit his mother whom he has not seen ‘for a long time’. “Dadalawin ko muna ang Mama ko, syempre nanay ko yun e. Pero hahanapin ko pa kung nasaan siya nakatira ngayon. Tapos magpapa-checkup ako," Ang told reporters. The court had set several conditions for Ang’s probation. These included the prohibition against ‘associating with persons of questionable character’ and ‘commission of any other offense’ during the two-year period. He is required to report to his supervising probation and parole officer at least once a month and must plant ‘timber or hardwood trees like narra, mahogany, yakal, molave, and the like’ either at the Quezon City Memorial Circle or at the La Mesa Dam Watershed ‘every two months‘. The court also imposed residential restrictions on Ang, saying that he has to reside at his given address in No. 18 Manansala Street, Corinthian Gardens, Quezon City. It also warned him against a change in residence without clearance from his probation officer. He was cautioned against leaving the jurisdiction of the Quezon City Parole and Probation Office longer than 30 days. If he is forced to travel for longer periods, he is required to first secure a written permit from the QCPPO. Ang, a former gaming consultant of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) under the Estrada administration, was also strictly forbidden against ‘engaging in any form of gambling activities’. Asked to react on this specific condition, Ang quipped, “Ok lang, hindi naman ako tumataya sa jueteng e." As a final condition, the court directed Ang to ‘devote himself to a specific employment’, but he said he has no idea what job to look for. “Hindi ko pa alam kung anong gagawin ko. Wala pa namang kumukuha sa akin, " he said. Villamor, his lawyer, said the particular condition does not necessarily mean that his client would have to find a salaried job. “It’s a standard condition. Ibig lang sabihin niyan, Mr. Ang must be involved in something gainful para hindi kung anu-ano nag ginagawa niya. Di naman agad-agad yan," he said. Ang fled to the United States just days before Estrada’s ouster in 2001. However, he was arrested by American authorities in a Las Vegas casino months later on Manila’s petition for extradition. He was deported to the country last November to face trial for plunder wherein he was accused of helping Estrada amass ill-gotten wealth amounting to P4.1 billion through setting up an illegal gambling operation and kickbacks from government transactions. However, he later entered into a plea bargain with government prosecutors to avoid prosecution for plunder which carries penalties of life imprisonment and confiscation of any asset deemed ill-acquired. Ang also paid back to the government the P25 million he admitted to having pocketed as part of the P130 million tobacco excise tax funds that he claimed to have delivered to the residence of Estrada at No. 1 Polk Street, North Greenhills, San Juan. - GMANews.TV