MikeLigalig.com

I don't think it's Taganahan but Tanagahan...my mother's clan comes from Dimiao, the neighboring town of Valencia and sad to say that they share the same family name...but I am pretty sure that we have no relatives bearing the name of Michael.

And to make sure, I would ask my relatives to investigate this guy. If he happens to be a relative then it would be a big shame for the family. 

We have about 40 families of Valenciahon in Southern California.  About a year ago,
tismis (rumor) was coming back about something going on at Valencia High School, Bohol involving
young girls and pornography.

We got together at a meeting and voted to pick up some expenses to have someone
investigate.  We contacted Neneng Corrales in Tagbilaran, (Bohol, Philippines) who is from Valencia.

Neneng found out that a local cell phone store owner and a local photographer
Michael Tanahagan were involved in pornography.

It worked like this:

Young girls 14-16 would come to the Cell phone store.  (Most of the girls were ‘taga
bukids’) The owner would snap a picture of the girl and send it to his customers.
If the customer was interested, he would order a photo.  At first they were topless.
Later full frontal nudity.  The girl would go to Tanahagan’s place and pose.
Tanahagan sold the pictures for P1,000 a set.  The girl got P500, Tanahagan and the
cell guy split P500.  The girl would now be able to buy a load.

If the girl wanted a phone, it would take more sales to ‘earn’ a phone.  When we
(The Americans) got into this we found out this had been going on for three or four
years.

Earlier, they were talking about that women’s group ‘Gabriela” over at BNN well,
they are a bunch of phonies, we told Gabriela about this.  We also wrote letters to
all the Tagbilaran papers, the Cebu papers,  ABS/CBN, all the papers in Manila and
the TV Networks.  We wrote the Dept of Social Welfare, and the School system
officials  in Valencia, Tagbilaran and Nationally. 

Nobody did anything.

One day one of the  Taga bukid girls was seen in town with a new phone and a lot of
money.  Neneng Corrales happened to be in town at that time and Neneng grabbed the
girl and got her to talk.  The girl told the story, and now said the girls were now
having sex with the customers, and one had even been videotaped, and one was
pregnant.

All hell now broke loose, and Dionisio Balite heard about it.  Balite, an enemy of
Conching Lim the mayor, was only too happy to put it in the paper, and he helped
with some legal services.  Ten girls came forward and signed statements. A warrant
was issued for Tanahagan and the cell phone store guy.  The both of them
disappeared.

A couple of months ago, we finally got to go to court and file charges.  Prior to
that, the people here set up a fund for legal expenses and transportation, meals and
housing for the girls and their parents in Tagbilaran.

We had a court date set.  Before the girls could testify in court.  Conching Lim
paid all ten families P45,000 each.  ($1,000)    The girls signed affidavits of
desistance. (dropped charges) 

Tanahagan appeared in court, but the primary defendant who was to testify against
Tanahagan was kidnapped by Tanahagan’s brother.  With out a witness to testify
against Tanahagan, the charges were dropped.

The whole thing just went away.

Here in the States it's called statuory rape.  It is not consensual sex.   If the
girl is under age, below the age of consent, she cannot give consent.  This is a
crime, and the charges change with each year under 18.  At one point it would become
child pornography (age 12 I think)  Here in the states, you do not need a
complainant,  the state files charges, not the individual.

And then again, they don't have jury trials in the Phils.  A well placed bribe can
get some pretty good rulings from the judge.

--a forwarded e-mail source: confidential