THE House Committee on Metro Manila Development on Wednesday urged the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) to restudy the auction of the Payanig property.
Liberal Party Rep. Winston T. Castelo of Quezon City, chairman of the panel, said the PCGG should re-study the auction, as several people questioned the sale of the property.
“The PCGG, despite the questionable manner how its [auction] would be conducted, continued the public auction of the property in question; so we will find if there’s really legal basis [to auction off the property], I hope they will think twice and study the matter,” Castelo said.
However, Castelo said the lower chamber will respect whatever the decision of the PCGG will be on the property. “But they should take a second look, because the committee is very worried with the accompanying legal problems attached with [the auction] because there are adverse claims; so the issue here is whether it is legal for the PCGG to auction off the property despite the adverse claims,” he said.
Castelo said he is still studying if the committee needs to conduct another meeting to address the issue.
He added that his committee hearing on the Payanig property last week was made upon a motion of a committee member acting on a letter of the counsel of Blemp Commercial of the Philippines Inc.
During the meeting, lawyer Dennis P. Manalo was identified as the BLEMP representative and was given the opportunity to explain Blemp’s serious concern over the PCGG’s public bidding of the Metrowalk-Payanig property, considering its ongoing legal battle on the issue of ownership with the PCGG.
It was pointed out that the PCGG has categorically declared that it “does not assume any obligation to compensate or indemnify parties for any expense or loss that they may incur as a result of their participation in the bidding process, nor does it guarantee that an award will be made.”
This, according to Manalo, is a mockery of the public-bidding process and renders the intended state auction a sham.
“Who, in his right mind, will shell out at least P16.5 billion without an assurance that seller will transfer ownership of the property?” Manalo asked.
Party-list Reps. Terry L. Ridon of Kabataan and Juan Johnny Revilla of OFW Family raised their concern over the prospects of losing investor confidence in the Philippines if bidding will follow the PCGG pattern.
“Why don’t you wait for the court to settle the issue of ownership before selling the property?” Ridon asked.
The PCGG, however, assured the committee that it is the owner of the property and that, by virtue of its reconstituted title, it will proceed with the public bidding, unless restrained by the courts.
On the other hand, Manalo cited a Supreme Court case that said the PCGG’s ownership is presumptive only and “does not prevent a third party with a better right from claiming such properties in the proper forum.”
Earlier, criminal charges were filed before the Ombudsman against the PCGG and other Cabinet officials for alleged violation of the Antigraft and Corrupt Practices Act in connection with the sale of the Payanig property in Pasig City.
Facing the complaint filed by Blemp Commercial of the Philippines Inc. owner Richard Singson, nephew of Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis Singson, are PCGG Chairman Andres Bautista, and commissioners Maria Ngina Teresa Chan-Gonzaga and Vicente Gengos Jr.
Bautista has been appointed chairman of the Commission on Elections.
Also included on the charge sheet are Cabinet officials and members of Privatization Council, namely, Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima; Finance Undersecretaries John Phillip P. Sevilla; Jeremias Paul Jr. and Jose Emmanuel Reverente; Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad Trade Secretary Gregory L. Domingo; Justice Secretary Leila M. de Lima; Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan; National Treasurer Rosalia V. de Leon; Department of Finance Chief of Staff Maria Lourdes Recente, Finance Assistant Secretary Maria Teresa S. Habitan; and Privatization and Management Office chief officer Karen Singson.
The complainant said that the Payanig property in Pasig is owned by Blemp company and not among the alleged ill-gotten wealth of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.
The complainant also said that “the law provides that they [PCGG] are only allowed to sequester properties of Marcos cronies.”
The Privatization Council—tasked the PCGG—to publish the bidding of the 18.5-hectare Payanig property auction at a minimum price of P16.45 billion.