MANILA, Philippines -- The moral of the story seems to be what goes around comes around.

In an ironic twist, the fate of ousted President Joseph Estrada’s luxury cars is now in the hands of an old foe, Reynaldo Berroya, who has been tapped by the Sandiganbayan to help in its search for vehicles it could seize as part of the recently pardoned plunder convict’s ill-gotten wealth.

Sheriff Ed Urieta Tuesday asked Berroya, now chief of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and assistant transportation secretary, to furnish the anti-graft court’s Special Division copies of the papers of all vehicles registered in Estrada’s name, “so that proper proceedings may be undertaken in accordance with the rules of court.”

The Sandiganbayan is looking at four sport utility vehicles owned by Estrada, but it needs confirmation from Berroya’s office, Urieta told reporters.

Making no effort to disguise his amusement, Berroya told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net): “Poetic justice is the right term.

“I was jailed even if I was innocent. He (Estrada) was jailed, found guilty, but subsequently pardoned. He may not have been convicted for his other offenses, but he was convicted nonetheless for a different offense. That’s the law of karma.”

But for all that, Berroya said he had no plans to use his position to get back at the ousted President.

“The Sandiganbayan sheriff delivered a letter requesting the LTO to furnish them a copy of all [the papers] of the vehicles registered to Estrada. That’s my only role in the forfeiture of his assets,” Berroya said.

Bad blood

The bad blood between Estrada and Berroya goes a long way, starting when the former was the Vice President and head of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission (PACC).

Berroya, along with Senior Police Officer 4 Jose Vienes, Francisco “Kit” Mateo and 13 others, was charged on Sept. 22, 1993, by the PACC’s Task Force Habagat, then headed by now Sen. Panfilo Lacson, with the kidnapping of Taiwanese Chou Cheung Yih alias Jack Chou.

Berroya was convicted in 1995 by Judge Oscar Pimentel of the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 148 and incarcerated at the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City for three years.

The Supreme Court subsequently overturned the RTC’s decision, and he was released on Dec. 12, 1997.

During Estrada’s presidential campaign nine years ago, Berroya linked him to a plot to kill former President Fidel Ramos and to other corruption and illegal activities.

As President, Estrada ruled out a promotion for Berroya, who had topped a list of senior police officials recommended for promotion by the Senior Officers’ Placement and Promotions Board of the Philippine National Police in 1999.

Even his wristbands

The Sandiganbayan Special Division issued writs of execution on Oct. 30 and on Nov. 5 directing the sheriff to forfeit in favor of the government Estrada’s assets amounting to more than P700 million (including the P545 million in the Erap Muslim Youth Foundation account and the P189 million in the Jose Velarde account), as well as the “Boracay Mansion” in New Manila, Quezon City.

But Estrada Tuesday said Urieta could check all his personal assets but he would not allow him to confiscate them.

“Let them check my personal properties. I would even let them check my wristbands, but there’s no way I would allow them to touch any of my personal properties I worked hard for,” he told the Inquirer by phone.

Urieta said that of the P700 million, the P200 million deposited in a bank account of the Erap Muslim Youth Foundation had already been accounted for.

On Tuesday, the sheriff’s office was waiting for the Equitable-PCI Bank to say how much the money had earned in interest.

For the balance, Urieta said his office was tracking down Estrada accounts in four banks that he refused to name pending verification.

But he clarified that the court would confiscate only Estrada’s real properties, such as his vacation estate in Tanay town, Rizal province, if the personal assets it had forfeited would fail to satisfy the amount it had indicated in its Sept. 12 decision.

200 ‘owners’

Berroya said the LTO would help the Sandiganbayan “the best way we can” by verifying the ownership of the vehicles in question.

He said the LTO had its work cut out for it, with at least 200 Joseph Estradas and Joseph Ejercitos registered.

“Of course, they have different middle names, but we have to sift through all of these,” he said, adding that so far, the LTO had found at least three registered to Joseph E. Estrada of Polk Street, San Juan City, two of which were a 1965 Cadillac (PSY-878) and a Mitsubishi Lancer (PCT-572).

He said there were also at least 11 vehicles registered to “Joseph Ejercito,” which were still being verified.

“We found a registration for a ‘Joseph Arroyo Estrada’ and another for ‘Joseph Lacson Estrada.’ Those are among our listings of license holders,” Berroya said.

“But knowing Erap,” Berroya said, referring to Estrada by his nickname, “the vehicles are not under his name.”

He added: “The sheriff might have a difficult time.”

‘Harassment’

In a separate phone interview, a defiant Estrada decried what he described as “harassment.”

His eldest son, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, also bewailed the “political harassment.”

“They probably dislike the idea that we remain with the opposition. We will continue to remain as a member of the opposition up to 2010,” the senator said.

The elder Estrada said the Sandiganbayan should act first on his motion to quash the forfeiture order before ordering Urieta to seize his assets.

Estrada said he would fight for the assets that the court was eyeing, particularly his residence in the exclusive subdivision of North Greenhills, his sprawling estate in Tanay, and his cars.

“This seems like harassment,” he said. “They cannot just get [my assets]. There’s not even a hearing. They should have advised us first,” he said. Should he fail to pay the government, the court will be compelled to seize his personal assets to pay for his liabilities.

In an interview with radio dzMM, Estrada called on Urieta to wait for the Sandiganbayan’s decision on his motion to quash: “Don’t be hasty. Rushing it will not result in anything.”

But he said he would follow the law if the court rejected his motion.

Asked how many cars he owned, Estrada said: “I can’t count them. There’s one for backup; there’s one for going to the market.”

Chuckling, he said: “No, I’m just joking.” He added that there were three cars parked at his North Greenhills residence Tuesday, but that not all of the vehicles were registered under his name.

Like the Polk Street house and the Tanay estate, some of the vehicles are owned by the Estrada family’s JELP Realty Corp. With reports from Michael Lim Ubac and Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.