Couple denies anomalous coffee deals with Pagcor

MANILA, Philippines - A business couple denied yesterday the accusations made by Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) chairman Cristino Naguiat that there were irregularities in their contracts with the previous management of the state gaming firm.

In a press conference in Taguig City, Johnny and Carlota Tan maintained that all the transactions they entered into with the previous Pagcor management were aboveboard.

Lorna Kapunan, legal counsel of the couple, said her clients will “squarely meet their accusers in the proper forum and will counter any evidence, real or fabricated, that may be presented against them.”

Naguiat said Johnny and Carlota Tan cornered Pagcor contracts because of their close ties to former Pagcor chairman Efraim Genuino.

Naguiat revealed that P700 million of the P1 billion Pagcor spending for coffee for nine and a half years went to concessionaire “Promolabels Specialty Shop,” a company owned by Carlota.

Johnny Tan’s Kilton Motor Corp., meanwhile, supplied vehicles, metal detectors, stickers, generators and other equipment worth about P21.4 million during Genuino’s term. Kapunan said Pagcor funds were not used to pay for the coffee served to its casino clients from the years 2001 to 2010.

“The gambler/client pays for his coffee,” Kapunan said.

Kapunan also denied that the couple was favored by the previous Pagcor management because of close ties to Genuino.

“Genuino himself denied that he is not close to (Johnny) Tan... all contracts of Mr. Tan underwent public bidding and out of the eight biddings he has joined he won only three,” Kapunan said. “A crony never loses a public bidding.”          

She also disclosed that Tan’s company has entered into a “negotiated deal” with the present Pagcor management for the supply of silent generators.

Johnny Tan was the second nominee of Genuino’s Batang Iwas Droga (BIDA) party-list’s during the May 2010 elections, after Genuino’s daughter Sheryl Genuino-See.

He is among the respondents, which include Genuino, in a P186-million plunder case for questionable transactions made by the party-list group.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), meanwhile, has ordered Genuino to answer the plunder complaint against him over the misuse of Pagcor funds to finance his daughter’s congressional bid in last year’s elections. – With Edu Punay