Attorney Paul Mendoza Allen Glendale Attorney Beirne Balita.com Atty bander set up in fake sex case and how he acquitted himself with honor and dignity

1. Atty. Bander Set Up in Fake Sex Case …And How He Acquitted Himself
with Honor and Dignity
By Rene Villaroman with PWD Investigative Team
On July 13, 2006, Atty. Joel Bander was in
Manila providing immigration consultation services when he received an e-mail from Myrna Ang
Tiu. The e-mail stated that she desired an immigration consultation for herself and seven (7)
friends with similar issues. Bander had earlier advertised his consultation services in the Los
Angeles editions of Asian Journal, which then and now is the largest Filipino-American
newspaper, and where he was then serving as legal counsel.
Based on a deposition made by Lotis Rosario, who was Bander’s legal assistant in Manila, a
law student at San Beda College, who has since passed the Philippine Bar and now serves as
law clerk for the Philippines Court of Appeals, Ms. Tiu arrived a few days later with only one (1)
client who called herself ‘Christina San Jose.’ Ms. Tiu paid for ‘San Jose’s’ consultation fee of
$100.
The meeting room was less than one meter away from the reception area. Ms. Rosario recalled
that during the meeting, she went into the consultation room to bring Mr Bander tea. “Nothing
unusual was happening; it was an uneventful consultation, with Christina San Jose leaving the
room smiling, almost laughing.” Little did Bander and Rosario know at the time that ‘San Jose’
was happy because she ‘thought’ she had made some quick money.
Meanwhile, Myrna Tiu (this is her real name) then consulted with Atty. Bander about processing
her immigration visa. She made another appointment to meet Bander the next day at the EDSA
Shangrila Hotel to pay the retainer fee. But she did not show up. Ms. Rosario recalled that when
she called Ms. Tiu to inquire about her arrival, the latter was “shocked” to find out that the legal
assistant was also in the meeting to accompany Atty Bander. Rosario thought the response was
odd.

2. At that point, Bander considered the matter closed and flew home to Los Angeles. But
unbeknownst to both he and Ms. Rosario a devious plan had been hatched to make up a sexual
story to malign his good reputation.
Then, in the July 27, 2007 edition of Manila Standard, a news report that “sex charges” were
filed against ‘consular officer’ Joel Bander appeared, obviously paid for by people out to ruin his
reputation. That story was followed by another news story in the August 5, 2006 issue of
People’s Tonight, written by Allan Begornia, who called Bander a ‘trader’ and claiming that
charges were filed in Branch 73 of the Taguig Trial Court.
But the real, hard truth is
that there is no Branch 73 at the Taguig Court. And there was never any case in the Taguig
Trial Court, even though Balita Media, through its obedient executive editor keeps repeating a
baseless and non-existent ‘sexual assault’ case stories filed against Bander. The stories, by
their inaccuracies, were total fabrications and assuredly paid for, as is the rampant practice in
some less reputable newspapers in Manila and written by reporters with less than sterling
journalism ethics.
A Manila investigator for PinoyWatchDog.com who interviewed People’s Tonight reporter Allan
Begornia, admitted, after a few shots of hard liquor, that he was paid about $200 to write the

3. Bander sex scandal story, and whoever it was that approached him to write the story really
hated Bander with a passion. It was this highly trained investigator’s opinion that Begornia was
an alcoholic. After this brouhaha reached People’s Tonight management, the tabloid made a
retraction and fired reporter Begornia.
A few days after September 8, 2006, Ms. Rosario, Bander’s Manila legal assistant, received a
call from someone professing to be Christina San Jose’s brother. He said that the articles in the
newspapers were all part of a plan to smear Joel Bander’s name in the Philippines and that the
source of this campaign came from the U.S. The caller further claimed that his ‘sister’ was not
paid, as promised, by this group. Hence ‘San Jose’ wanted to retract the false accusations
against Bander.
“This is a set-up”:
Amb. Raul Rabe
“It was obvious this was a setup from the start,” said Ambassador Raul Rabe, who had worked
with Bander organizing and helping Filipino World War II veterans during the late 1990s, and
has remained Bander’s friend. “I wanted to help Atty. Bander, who did so much for war veterans
over the years,” Rabe said. His law office in Manila initially undertook the legal representation of
Bander, and developed an overwhelming case demonstrating that the complaint was a fraud
and a set-up. However, even with his firm’s influence, the rampant corruption in the Philippines
won the day until the Aquino administration came into office and Bander was ultimately
acquitted.
His case was made even stronger when:
* ‘San Jose’ provided a false address, an abandoned warehouse/factory space;
* Ms. Rosario still had the receipt of the person identifying herself as ‘Christina San Jose’.
However, the signature on the Complaint Sheet at the fiscal’s office was very different than the
one on the receipt.
Despite Balita’s repeated and malicious publication of this story without regards for responsible,
truthful and ethical journalism, Bander had placed himself before the court in the fall of 2006 by
requesting a formal Reinvestigation, which the court granted. He appeared at the Manila fiscal’s
office, but the “fictitious” ‘San Jose’ did not appear. “I was amazed how pathetic the Manila
Fiscal’s office looked,” recounted Bander. “They did not even have a phone or a computer at
their desks.”
“Everyone Wanted a Bribe”
Rabe’s law firm then filed a Petition for Review with the Philippine Department of Justice in
October 2007, with Bander further placing himself within the structures of the Philippine Justice
system, despite Rhony Laigo’s claim that Bander was “making a mockery of Philippine justice
system.” After six months inquiries were made and a meeting was set up through the assistance
of a congressional office. “I was quite surprised to be meeting with about four (4) Justice
Department officials, and a couple of congressional aides,” Bander recalls. “Then the bigger guy
showed up. I think he was head of finance. We ate and talked about the case. I thanked
everyone, paid for the food and left. Afterwards, my then attorney, Lloyd Nonato, told me these
officials wanted money too, about $3000. I was incensed, but continued to refuse to pay these
bribes.”

4. In the meantime, Balita’s executive editor, Rhony Laigo, was instructed by his bosses, Anthony
Allen and Luchie Mendoza-Allen, to fly to Manila and obtain a Hold Departure Order from the
Bureau of Immigration through the help of his friends and former colleagues at the Ninoy Aquino
International Airport beat. After Laigo reportedly bribed his way to obtaining a Hold Departure
Order, Bander’s lawyer, Lloyd Nonato obtained a personal appointment with the Immigration
Commissioner on October 29, 2009. He described to the commissioner how the charges were
fabricated and was a big hoax.
The commissioner directed Nonato to his aides, who asked for $4000 to lift the HDO. “At this
point,” Bander recalls, “I decided to wait for the end of the Arroyo administration, as I will not pay
bribes.”
Aquino Wins
In August 2010, after Noynoy Aquino was elected president, Bander traveled to Manila, and with
the assistance of prominent attorney Sig Fortun the HDO was removed without the payment of
any bribes, and a few months later Bander was acquitted by the trial court. “I want to state,”
Bander said, “that at no time did anyone from the court in any way ask for a bribe, nor did
anyone even intimate that I should.” Joel Lucanan was the Manila Trial Court judge. “From my
few times in court, Judge Lucanan treated everyone with dignity and fairness, even though he
was just handling minor matters,” Bander added.
Atty. Sig Fortun told PinoyWatchDog.com, “I represented Atty. Bander as a brethren who has
helped so many Filipinos. I did not want him to think that Filipino Justice is so corrupt.”
However, corrupt elements of the Philippine American Media that only wish Attorney Bander
harm continue to discuss this criminal case as if the underlying facts have any basis in truth, or
that Bander somehow was running from even a corrupt criminal justice system.