EVEN while we were doing corporate searches, we were also following the trail of the houses. The most visible of these was the mansion being built on a half-a-hectare property in exclusive Wack Wack, Mandaluyong, supposedly for presidential mistress Laarni Enriquez. A search of land records at the Mandaluyong registry of deeds yielded the name of KB Space Holdings, the company that owns the property. A subsequent search at SEC then showed that the firm is owned by Jacinto Ng, one of the President's closest and oldest friends.

The story would have stopped there, as there appeared to be no proof that either Estrada or Enriquez had purchased the property. But then interviews with residents and officials of Wack Wack would reveal that the President and his mistress were often seen in the area, on occasion inspecting the mansion being built there. Moreover, there was talk of Estrada buying up more properties in the village and elsewhere, including New Manila, Quezon City, where the out-of-this-world "Boracay" mansion, with its white sand, wave machine and heated swimming pool was constructed in late 1999.

The first challenge was to identify where these properties were located (many individuals were helpful in this regard, as were anonymous tips sent to us by email). Then, we had to find the corresponding land and corporate records to establish ownership. From the beginning, it was clear to us that proving the real ownership of these properties would be problematic. But we also knew that the investigation would not reach a dead end if we were able to show a pattern in their acquisition. As we gathered documentary evidence and spoke with contractors, designers and suppliers familiar with the construction of various mansions as well as residents in the areas where the properties were acquired, a pattern soon became discernible.

Altogether, we found 17 pieces of real estate in Metro Manila, Tagaytay and Baguio acquired by the President and his various family members since 1998. These properties, by our estimates, total P2 billion. We discovered that most of them were in the name of shell corporations formed by close associates of the President. These include Dante Tan, a major contributor to the Estrada campaign who has been charged with insider trading and price manipulation; Lucio Co, the owner of duty free shops who has been investigated for smuggling; Jaime Dichaves, a long-time presidential crony who has been accused of intervening in the telecommunications industry; Mark Jimenez, former presidential assistant for Latin American affairs who is facing extradition charges in the United States; and Ramon Ang, the vice-chairman of San Miguel Corporation (SMC), who acts as the political broker for SMC chairman and Estrada supporter Eduardo Cojuangco Jr.

We uncovered the key role played by lawyer Edward Serapio and of the De Borja Medialdea Bello Guevarra & Gerodias law firm in the incorporation of several of the shell companies that fronted for the sale of the properties. We also documented the apparent complicity of the law firm and the Bank of Commerce in the acquisition of a Forbes Park property for presidential daughter Jacqueline Ejercito and her husband Manuel Lopez.

Moreover, we found a pattern in the use of contractors and project managers for the construction. For example, Centech International, one of the purchasing companies affiliated with SMC, is the project manager for the Wack Wack mansion being built for Enriquez and the Forbes Park, Makati mansion being constructed for Guia Gomez, known as Presidential Wife No. 2. In addition, Kanlaon Construction, a company owned by presidential classmate Antonio Evangelista, was involved in building several of the mansions.

By examining building plans and photographs, we found that the houses are in a uniformly opulent style and were designed by some of the country's top architectural and design firms. Enriquez's Wack Wack mansion, with its beauty parlor, theater, sauna and a living room the size of a hotel lobby, shows the heights of excess to which this construction binge can lead.

The articles in the section entitled, "Mansions," show how our investigation unfolded through the months, starting with the most-talked about constructions to the lesser known ones in Tagaytay, Baguio and elsewhere. We were fortunate that by the time we were ready to publish our first mansion story, Ilocos Sur Governor Luis 'Chavit' Singson dropped his bombshell about the President receiving payoffs from illegal gambling. By then, the media environment had changed and had become more receptive to investigative reporting on Estrada. The public, too, was hungry for information about the goings on in Malacañang Palace, in part because all these were, for the most part, hidden from public view till then.

By October 2000, our investigation had a ready and receptive market, even on television, which had previously been wary about reporting critically about the President. By then, more and more individuals were also offering information to us, thus facilitating the publication of more reports. We received tips through email, text messages, phone calls and letters. Some informants even sent us photographs of houses; others provided exact addresses that made the paper chase so much easier. In the end, three of our reports were cited in the impeachment complaint filed by the House of Representatives against the President.

Sheila S. Coronel
Executive Director