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THE
officers and members of the board of directors of the
National Press Club (NPC) on Tuesday said the media
association will file a disbarment complaint against
Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) president
Winston Garcia and the lawyers of the state-managed
pension fund before the Integrated Bar of the
Philippines (IBP).
The NPC
officers threatened to file the complaint against Garcia
five days after the Manila Prosecutor’s Office filed an
estafa case against the previous officers and board
members before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Manila.
“It is
our position that the GSIS under its president, Winston
Garcia, has no right to claim the precious Manansala
mural which was sold by the past board of directors of
the NPC for P10 million to the Heritage Art Gallery, as
its own,” said current NPC president Benny Antiporda in
a statement.
Antiporda referred to Republic Act 905 and Letter of
Instruction 500, which declared the NPC to be the real
and true owner of the property it occupies in Intramuros,
Manila.
He said
the leadership of the NPC expressed regret over the
decision handed down by Assistant City Prosecutor Jesse
Tiburan.
The
respondents, all journalists, were former NPC president
Roy Mabasa, vice president Benny Antiporda, secretary
Louie Logarta, treasurer Amor Virata, auditor Jun
Cobarrubias and directors Jerry Yap, Alvin Feliciano,
Joey Venancio, William Depasupil, Dennis Fetalino, Joel
Egco, Conrado Generoso, Rolly Gonzalo and Samuel Julian.
Some of the respondents were reelected in the last
elections.
The
charges were filed on July 17 by Tiburan. The
prosecutor’s office recommended bail of P40,000 for each
of the accused. All the accused are out on bail.
The case
was raffled off to Branch 22 of the RTC in Manila.
Earlier,
the GSIS accused the NPC officers of estafa for selling
the mural painted by National Artist Vicente Manansala
at the club’s restaurant.
The
GSIS, which claims ownership of the land and the NPC
building, said it was the rightful owner of the mural
and that the sale was illegal.
However,
the NPC officers said GSIS has no legal basis in filing
the complaint, claiming that the removal of the mural
was a “corporate act” that was done pursuant to a
resolution passed and approved the Board of Directors.
It added that not a single centavo of the proceeds of
the sale went to their pockets. |
