MANILA, PHILIPPINES -- Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the Philippines' official agency on games of chance, has filed plunder charges against its former chairman and 40 other personalities at the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The plunder charges, filed by current PAGCOR officials, named former chairman Efraim Genuino as a respondent along with other PAGCOR officials who, according to current PAGCOR Chairman Cristino Naguiat Jr., allegedly conspired to allocate some Php 186 million of the state agency's funds to an organization called Batang Iwas Droga (acronymed BIDA, roughly translated as "kids avoiding drugs") from 2003 to 2010. In 2010, BIDA, bannered by Genuino's daughter, Sheryl Genuino-See, ran in the 2010 national elections as a party list.Presenting cheques given to BIDA, Naguiat told reporters:
"Clearly, there was a conflict of interest with how former PAGCOR officials disbursed the funds to a group which later registered as a partylist group."
In the 126-page complaint filed at the DOJ for plunder and violation of the Anti-Graft Law, among the details of the disbursed funds included over Php 63 million in publicity costs for BIDA from 2008 to 2010; Php 14.42 million for BIDA collaterals such as pins, ID cards, tarpaulins; and Php 14.15 million paid to BIDA Production for events management, creative design and production of BIDA Foundation's activities.
According to Naguiat:
"The ad placements were obviously intended or designed to increase exposure and popularity of the BIDA Foundation in time for the 2010 national elections."
Aside from the former chairman and his daughter, others named as respondents in the complaint included PAGCOR Board Members Rafael Francisco (President and COO), Manuel Roxas, Philip Lo, Danilo Gozo, Imelda Dimaporo, Ester Laconico Feria, Susana Dumlao Vargas, and Gamaliel Cordoba; PAGCOR Officials ose Benedicto (Chief of Staff), Rene Figueroa (EVP), Edward King (VP for Corporate Communications), Atty. Carlos Bautista, Jr. (VP for Legal Department), Ester Hernandez (VP for Accounting), Valente Custodio (AVP for Internal Audit), Atty. Jesselyn Durante-Cuizon (Assistant Manager of Legal Department) and former PAGCOR consultants Mario Cornista, Rodolfo Soriano, Jr., Tomas Toledo, and Emilio Marcelo. Genuino's son, Erwin Genuino, then Executive Assistant of Legal Deparment was also named as a respondent to the charges.
BIDA Foundation members as well as those from BIDA Production and their related suppliers were also included in the suit.
Source: Inquirer.net
Posted: July 11, 2011
