MANILA, Philippines — Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Friday that his department will be studying possible charges in connection with the excavation discovered at the New Bilibid Prison, which began under the watch of suspended Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag.
Asked on DZBB if it is possible that someone might face charges over the unauthorized excavation — which Bantag said was for a diving pool — Remulla said it is possible.
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In a previous DZBB interview, Bantag said the excavation was part of a development through a joint venture with Agua Tierra Mina Oro Development Corp. (Atom) — a deal that former Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra and acting BuCor chief Gregorio Catapang Jr. said they are clueless about.
Bantag said Atom will turn Bilibid into a business center in exchange for a donation of a 200-hectare land in General Tinio, Nueva Ecija where the national penitentiary will transfer.
He said the earnings of the business center that will be built on Bilibid will be split 35%-65% between the BuCor and Atom.
But Remulla said this is not a valid deal as it did not have the approval of Guevarra, who was justice secretary at the time when the joint venture was first proposed in 2020, and also of then-President Rodrigo Duterte.
“I thought it was rubbish. It’s a piece of paper that belongs nowhere,” Remulla said. “If they wanted to make a proposal, it should have been to the process given by our law.”
Department of Justice spokesperson Mico Clavano told reporters that they found a memorandum from Guevarra addressed to Duterte advising him that the joint venture entered into by Bantag and Atom was “void ab initio” or invalid from the start.
“There is no joint venture agreement to speak of because it requires the consent and approval of the president beforehand,” Clavano said.
Guevarra said in a text message that he was made aware of the joint venture between BuCor and Atom only after it was signed. He said he advised Bantag to hold off further action until the DOJ finished its review of the transaction.
"Eventually my office found that the unsolicited proposal failed to comply with certain legal requirements, and we informed the office of the executive secretary accordingly," Guevarra said.
"Since then, we have not heard about this project. it might have been discontinued," he added. — with reports from Kristine Joy Patag
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