Business group owes no money to Marikina gov’t

MANILA, Philippines - An official of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday maintained that the PCCI did not owe the Marikina City government any more money for operating the Christmas night bazaar last year.

Eduardo Francisco, PCCI president, said they even overpaid the local government by P1.294 million.

Francisco claimed it was the bazaar’s sub-organizer Bandrang Abdulgaffor who ran off with the collections from the flea markets’ stallholders and not PCCI.

He said the local government should run after the sub-contractor to recoup the P17 million unremitted payment for the project.

Earlier, the city government filed a lawsuit against 14 officials of the local chapter of PCCI for their alleged failure to pay in full the P22 million they promised to pay to operate the bazaar.

The case was raffled last June 6 to Judge Acerey Pacheco of the Marikina City Regional Trial Court Branch 165.

Charged were Francisco, PCCI-Marikina executive director Len Clarino and board members Patrick Tanco, Ramadan Guimano, Luisa Buendia, Lolita Salinas, Ruby Ann Malixi, Ernesto Alcantara, William Sia, Anna Marie Dumrique, Evangeline Quimson, Noel Flores, Cerefino Bata and Joel Francisco.

But in a letter to The STAR, Alcantara, former PCCI executive director, said he was not included in the charge sheet.

Alcantara added that Clarino took over as the group’s executive director effective Oct. 26, 2012 after he was removed without his knowledge.

“The position of executive director is by appointment by the president. The entire board resigned effective April 2, 2013,” he said in his letter.