On Target: Honesty pays huge dividends

Torgeir Hoverstad, 63, a Norwegian photographer and cameraman who sells his documentary films about the beauty of the Philippines in Europe, has been in jail in Olongapo City for more than a year.

All the charges against him—child abuse, child porn production and human trafficking—are trumped up.

Hoverstad is the victim of a syndicate that preys on foreigners in Olongapo City, filing false charges against them so they will be forced to settle with their “victims” and pay them huge amounts.

Hoverstad didn’t commit any of the crimes imputed to him.

Apparently bothered by her conscience, the 15-year-old girl (now 17), the subject of nude photos allegedly taken by the Norwegian, admitted she was hired by a syndicate to make false accusations against him.

The girl came to my office on Wednesday accompanied by two adults. She said she had never met Hoverstad before she was made to testify against him in two courts—in Balanga, Bataan province, and in Olongapo City, Zambales province.

Different courts, same case.

She said the syndicate coached her on what to tell the court.

However, she took pity on the foreigner who had done her no wrong.

The nude pictures presented in court were taken by the syndicate, not by Hoverstad.

But when she recently made the confession and retraction in open court, Olongapo Judge Jose Bautista Jr. didn’t drop the case outright.

The government prosecutor, Ria Nina Sususco, got angry at the girl and allegedly threatened her.

“Hindi mo ako kilala, bata ka. Baka mapasama ka sa ginawa mo (You don’t know me, girl. You might get into trouble)!” the girl quoted Sususco as telling her.

Why didn’t the judge dismiss the case against Hoverstad after the girl’s retraction?

Why was the prosecutor fuming at the girl’s retraction?

Are they part of the syndicate?

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San Miguel Corp. (SMC), which celebrated its 125th anniversary on Tuesday, has come a long way from a single-product brewery firm in 1890to the huge conglomerate it is today.

Honesty is the guiding principle of its huge success.

When Danding Cojuangco, SMC chair and owner, and his family left the country to go on exile with the Marcoses in 1986, he didn’t know if he would come back.

Cojuangco entrusted the company to Ramon S. Ang, now the SMC president and CEO.

It was a complete leap of faith for Cojuangco who came to know Ang because both love luxury and antique cars.

Ang could have wasted the company’s funds or completely taken over.

When the Cojuangcos returned, Ang not only gave back SMC to Danding hook, line and sinker, he also turned over companies that were outgrowths of the brewery firm.

People are asking why Danding hasn’t appointed any of his children to run the conglomerate.

This story answers their question.

Honesty, my dear readers, pays huge dividends.