GMA sis surprised by junking of graft case vs Lapid

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – President Arroyo’s sister Cielo Macapagal-Salgado said she was surprised by the decision of the Office of the Ombudsman clearing Sen. Lito Lapid in a graft case that she and three others filed against him years ago.

The case stemmed from two deeds of sale over the same property that reflected different purchase cost, one for P104 million and the other, only P5 million.

“Two years ago, the Ombudsman asked me whether I was still interested in pursuing the case. When I said yes, since it was a matter of searching for the truth, I was told that a preliminary investigation would be conducted,” Salgado said.

She said she is still consulting with her lawyer on what to do next, as she has remained the only complainant.

The three other complainants were former provincial board members Bernadette Herrera who now lives in the United States and Restie Capulong who now works for the state firm Clark Development Corp., and Eddie Chu who is already deceased.

Salgado, who was then Lapid’s vice governor, filed the case some 11 years ago after two deeds of sale surfaced over the provincial government’s purchase of a 40-hectare lot in Barangay San Pedro purportedly for a low-cost housing program for provincial employees.

While one deed of sale dated Nov. 3, 1997 showed the price at P104 million, another deed of sale submitted 14 days later to the Bureau of Internal Revenue stated only P5 million.

“The documents were unearthed by capitol employees and we took the cudgels for them in filing the complaint,” Salgado said.

In their complaint, Salgado’s group also said Lapid had no authority to use the P130-million cash deposit of the provincial government at the Philippine National Bank as security for the P104-million payment obtained from another bank.

They said the provincial government paid P104 million for the property even before the certificate of transfer was done.

In a 17-page resolution, however, said assistant special prosecutor Elita Santos said there was no prima facie evidence to pin down Lapid in the graft case.

At the height of the controversy over the two deeds of sale, Abelardo Miranda, who sold the 40-hectare property, came out with an admission that he alone was responsible for the second deed of sale that stated only P5 million as purchase cost.

Miranda said he executed the second document in an attempt to reduce the cost of capital gains tax to be paid to the Bureau of Internal Revenue for the purchase and that he later paid the right amount anyway.