Genuino, 3 others charged for overpriced coffee

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) on Tuesday filed before the Office of the Ombudsman plunder and graft charges against its former officials, including former chairman Efraim Genuino, for an allegedly overpriced coffee contract.

In a 25-page complaint affidavit, Pagcor filed plunder and graft charges against Genuino, former Pagcor president Rafael Francisco, former Pagcor senior vice president Rene Figueroa and Promolabels owner Carlota Cristi Manalo-Tan.

A radio report said that an audit team of the new Pagcor management has discovered that from 2005 to 2008, five Casino Filipino branches paid P258 million to Manalo-Tan's group for coffee products.

It said that the audit team found out that the price of coffee being sold by Promolabels, owner of Figaro coffee company, was overpriced. It said that from 2005 to 2008, the agency paid an overpriced amount of P78 million for the coffee.

“For the years 2005 to 2008 alone, PAGCOR could have saved at least P78 million if only the prices of Promolabels’ Figaro coffee products were the same as those of other Figaro franchisees,” Pagcor said.

The report said that Pagcor also mentioned in the complaint affidavit that Manalo-Tan is close to Genuino. It said that Manalo-Tan's husband, BIDA party-list candidate Johnny Tan, is an ally of the former Pagcor chairman.