According to Gov. Singson, the day after the aforementioned meeting, Atong Ang started meeting with the jueteng operators in his office near the municipal hall of San Juan. [Ibid, p. 188]  Atong Ang and the operators were bargaining how much protection money from each province will be given to FPres. Estrada. [Ibid, p. 193]  After the final talk, they started collecting jueteng protection money, specifically from August of 1998. [Ibid, p. 203]

Gov. Singson knew FPres. Estrada for almost thirty (30) years before August of 1998.  FPres. Estrada was not yet a mayor but a movie actor as Gov. Singson’s mother was a producer. [Ibid, p. 191]  Gov. Singson first met Atong Ang at the cockpit and gambling places. He had known Atong Ang for a long time even when FPres. Estrada was still the Vice President.  According to Gov. Singson, Bong Pineda was a close “compadre” of FPres. Estrada while his son, Jinggoy Estrada, was Bong Pineda’s godson by marriage. [Ibid, p. 197]      

            Gov. Singson claimed that he was present in not all but several meetings of Atong Ang with the jueteng collectors.  He was present when there was an agreement on the three percent (3%) of total collections in every province, as fixed by Atong Ang. [TSN dated July 22, 2002, pp. 12-13]  Jueteng money was delivered to FPres. Estrada initially every end of the month, starting September of 1998 and later every 15^th and at the end of the month. [Ibid, p.14]

On October of 1998, Gov. Singson and Atong Ang brought the jueteng protection money of about Nine Million Pesos (P9,000,000.00) for the said month to FPres. Estrada at his house, in No. 1 Polk Street in Greenhills, but FPres. Estrada and Atong Ang had a nasty quarrel about the sugar allocation request of Atong Ang which was denied by FPres. Estrada.  Gov. Singson brought home the said P9,000,000.00 but, the following day, FPres. Estrada called him up asking him to pay F.P. Estrada’s obligations which went on until the said amount was consumed and Gov. Singson was instructed by FPres. Estrada to continue the collection of the jueteng money. [Ibid, pp. 26, 22-23]

Gov. Singson continued the collection as instructed by FPres. Estrada, still with the help of Atong Ang, from November of 1998 until August of 2000.  The amounts of money collected from jueteng during the said period were listed in the ledger per month and per province.  The ledger also listed the expenses paid for using the jueteng protection money. [Ibid, pp. 24-27]

            Every fifteen (15) days, Gov. Singson himself delivered protection money to FPres. Estrada in the amount of Five Million Pesos (P5,000,000.00) or a total of Ten Million Pesos (P10,000,000.00) every month.  Emma B. Lim delivered once the jueteng money to FPres. Estrada in Malacañang.  The protection money was delivered usually in cash but sometimes in check.  Chavit Singon presented to this court two (2) sets of ledger. The first set consisted of nine (9) pages covering the month of November of 1998 up to July of 1999 (Exh. W⁷ to Exh. E⁸).  The September 1998 and October 1998 collections were not reflected in the said ledger since the ledger was done only after FPres. Estrada and Atong Ang quarreled in October 1998.  The second set of ledger covered the months of August of 1999 to August of 2000 (Exh.A-4 to Exh. A-4-d). [TSN dated July 22, 2002, p. 27-31]

Gov. Singson prepared the pages of the first set of ledger (Exh. W⁷  to E⁸) with the help of Emma B. Lim and Ma. Carmencita Itchon and on the following year, Ricaforte joined them. [Ibid, pp. 35-36]

The pages of the second set of ledgers starting August of 1999 to August of 2000 [Exhibit A-4 and submarkings] were prepared by Ricaforte under the supervision of Gov. Singson who also checked the said ledger. [Ibid, pp. 36-37]

Ricaforte was introduced to Gov. Singson by FPres. Estrada before his birthday on April 19, 1999.  She was designated by FPres. Estrada as auditor because FPres.   Estrada was strict with money.  Gov. Singson was thankful for Ricaforte’s designation because he did not want FPres. Estrada to distrust him. [Ibid, p. 40]  Gov. Singson considered Ricaforte as the employee of FPres. Estrada with respect to the jueteng collections because not only was she introduced to Singson by FPres. Estrada, the latter also told Singson to give her Eighty Thousand Pesos (P80, 000.00) monthly salary.

Ricaforte held office at LCS Building owned by Gov. Singson. [Ibid, pp. 42-43]   Gov. Singson did not know Yolanda Ricaforte or her husband Orestes Ricaforte before April of 1999.  Gov. Singson identified Ricaforte from a picture (Exh. A-6-b-1) where she was seated beside Menchu Itchon, the assistant of Gov. Singson.  The picture was taken during the wedding of Raquel, the daughter of Gov. Singson where FPres. Estrada and his wife Senator Loi Ejercito stood as wedding sponsors. [Ibid, p. 45-48]

According to Gov. Singson, the jueteng collections were placed in a scratch paper as they came every fifteen (15) days, at the middle and the end of the month or five (5) days after the end of the month.  When all the collections had arrived, the list was finalized and then transferred to the computer.  The ledgers were prepared upon instructions of FPres. Estrada because the latter was strict with money. [Ibid, pp. 37-40, 41-42]

Gov. Singson explained in detail the entries on the left hand portion of the ledger for November of 1998 up to July of 1999.  In the province of Ilocos Sur, the total collection for fifteen (15) days was Seven Hundred Fifty Thousand Pesos (P750,000.00), in the province of La Union for 15 days, Five Hundred Thousand Pesos (P500,000.00) total collection, while in Bulacan for 15 days, One Million Pesos (P1,000,000.00) total collection (Exh. W⁷) of protection money for FPres. Estrada.  The entries for the other provinces were similar. On the left side column were the names of the provinces, the middle column pertained to the number of days, i.e.,  whether for 15 or 30 days and the right column, the total amount of collections of jueteng protection money, in order that jueteng operators will not be “arrested” or apprehended.  There was one (1) collector for three (3) provinces. [Ibid, pp. 53-54]    

In the second set of ledger (Exh. A-4 to A-4-d) Ricaforte gave a code name for every province below the title “Theme”.  The number of days, either 15 or 30, under the title “days” and the total amount of protection money for FPres. Estrada below the title “points” were indicated in the ledger. [Ibid, pp. 55-56]

Gov. Singson narrated that when FPres. Estrada was still the Vice President, they were already collecting jueteng money but not in all provinces.  When FPres. Estrada assumed the presidency, he called Gov. Singson and Atong Ang to start jueteng collections in provinces without protection money.  Atong Ang talked to certain persons in the said provinces so that the collection of protection money could start. Every province had a collector but sometimes there was one collector for three (3) provinces.  The collections were submitted to Gov. Singson but sometimes they would get the money from the house of the collectors.  The jueteng collections which FPres. Estrada asked Gov. Singson to operate for FPres. Estrada’s own benefit was at the national level, meaning nationwide.  They did not interfere with jueteng operations at the lower level.  Before there were “Kangaroo” type of jueteng operations or “Guerilla Type”.  They did it on their own and they did not pay protection money.  When the jueteng operators gave protection money to FPres. Estrada, they were not apprehended anymore although there were instructions to the contrary which were for show or for record purposes only. [Ibid, pp. 59-64]

There were local officials who did not allow jueteng like Governor Lina in Laguna. He changed the Provincial Commander several times but jueteng still continued.  In the other places the protection money for jueteng given to the local officials was different from that given to the higher levels. [Ibid, pp. 65-66]