Lee allowed to attend Senate housing probe

MANILA, Philippines - Detained Globe Asiatique president Delfin Lee may now attend the Senate inquiry into the alleged anomaly in his P6.6-billion housing project in Pampanga.

The Supreme Court (SC) has approved the request of Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito for Lee to be allowed to appear in the hearings of the Senate committee on urban planning, housing and resettlement. Lee is on trial for syndicated estafa before a Pampanga court.

Ejercito made the request following the refusal of San Fernando, Pampanga Regional Trial Court Branch 42 Judge Maria Amifaith Fider Reyes to allow Lee to attend a hearing last June conducted by another panel, the Senate committee on accountability of public officers and investigations.

SC court administrator Jose Midas Marquez said he had already advised judge Reyes to grant the request after Lee himself manifested with the high court his willingness to face the Senate probe.

Marquez supervises all appellate and trial courts in the country.

In a four-page order promulgated last Monday, Reyes granted the request of Ejercito “upon the informal advice of Hon. Jose Midas Marquez.”

The trial court, however, said the request was made for the hearing set last June 3 and noted that it received the request at a later date.

The Senate committee has yet to set a date for the next hearing where Lee is expected to attend.

Lee, through lawyer Rony Garay, told the SC last Aug. 5 that he was ready to tell the truth about accusations that his company had defrauded the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund) of P6.6 billion in housing loans for its project in Pampanga.

He asked “to be given the chance to present an honest, fair, truthful and factual narration or account of the events that eventually led to our persecution, illegal arrest and unlawful detention.”

“This has been long overdue and I have been expressing my desire to be given the chance to at least present to the senators and to the general public the truth behind all these alleged scams,” Lee said.

Lee said he is hoping that his testimony before the committee would expose the truth behind the controversy.

“Pag-IBIG’s unending efforts to misinform and mislead everyone will finally end should I be given the chance to lay down the real facts and true circumstances in the alleged controversy,” Lee said.

The hearing on the alleged housing scam by Ejercito’s committee has been delayed due to the judge’s refusal to allow Lee to participate in its deliberations.

Lee has a pending petition in the Supreme Court questioning the legality of his arrest, detention and trial for syndicated estafa.