PCGG seeks settlement with alleged Marcos crony

The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) is reportedly working on another amicable settlement worth about P364 million of ill-gotten wealth amassed by one of the alleged cronies of the late President Marcos who had benefited from logging concessions during the former strongman’s administration.

In a resolution promulgated by the Sandiganbayan Second Division last Aug. 7, the anti-graft court said Taggat Industries Inc., Pamplona Redwood Veneer Inc., the estate of Alfonso D. Lim Sr. and Alfonso Lim Jr. “pleaded for the deferment of the presentation of their evidence while negotiations for an amicable settlement between them and the PCGG are ongoing.”

The anti-graft court said the postponement of the hearings is meritorious because of “the continuing negotiations for amicable settlement of the case between the defendants and the PCGG.”

However, the court said, the postponement should not exceed one month after the date of the hearing.

The PCGG had reportedly sequestered about P364 million worth of ill-gotten wealth from Lim, a report from the MCA Ltd., a publishing firm, said.

Earlier reports from the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) showed that Alfonso Lim Sr., a  steadfast supporter of Marcos since his bid for the Senate in the early 1960s, owned Taggat Industries.

Taggat Industries owns a 107,845-hectare concession in Cagayan. Lim was also managing another logging concession in the area identified as Pamplona Redwood Veneer Co. Inc.

Lim also reportedly owned shares of stock in Southern Plywood Corp., Western Cagayan Lumber Co. Inc. and Acme Plywood & Veneer Co. Inc.

Lim, through the companies mentioned, had access to a total of 533,880 hectares in addition to about 100,000 hectares of forest lands that were located in between his different concessions. These areas were only accessible to Lim’s companies due to the terrain.

Lim presided over the logging operations in over 600,000 hectares.

This was said to be a violation of the Constitution which provided that no single individual or corporation could have license to forest concessions in excess of 100,000 hectares, the report said.

Taggat Industries was established in 1947 with an ordinary timber license. When concessions were ordered consolidated by Marcos in 1966, Taggat acquired additional lands, increasing its area to 64,725 hectares.

As of 1989, its total area was close to 100,000 hectares.

With the blessings of Marcos, Lim, in 1979, took over Veterans Woodworks (VWI) and its affiliates, Tropical Philippines Wood Industries, which was into plywood manufacturing, and Sierra Madre Wood Industries, which operated a sawmill.

Under its terms, Taggat Industries was given full control and total management of VWI and its affiliates for a period of five years. When it expired in 1985, the contract was renewed with the blessings from Marcos.

Formed by a group of retired veteran military officers in 1971, VWI was awarded a logging concession in several municipalities in Cagayan by Marcos.

In 1973, the late Gen. Eulogio Balao acquired more than P2 million worth of shares of the company, making him the major shareholder. It was believed then that he was fronting for Marcos, the report said. In 1979, two years after the death of Balao, Taggat Industries took over VWI, upon orders of Marcos.

Marcos personally looked into the operations of VWI once it was under Lim’s management, the PCIJ report said.