PSC readies plunder raps vs Puentevella

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Sports Commission has given Bacolod City Rep. Monico Puentevella until Monday to return the P50.5 million he allegedly failed to account for as head of the Bacolod Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (BASOC) that hosted several events in the 2005 SEA Games or face plunder charges.

“We have given him time to liquidate the amount and it’s been four years since the 2005 SEA Games was held. We have no other recourse but to file a plunder case against a former colleague in the 11th Congress and a friend in the POC,” said PSC chair Harry Angping during yesterday’s Scoop special session at the PSC building.

Puentevella, who insisted the BASOC had already submitted its liquidation report on the expenses incurred on the staging of the Bacolod side of the 2005 SEAG, welcomed the filing of the case.

“This is a clear case of harassment and a continuing attempt to persecute me in the bar of public opinion,” said Puentevella in a statement. “But be that as it may, I welcome the filing of the case by Angping and I am very confident that I will be exonerated once this is brought to the proper courts.”

He added: “The case in question involved an activity that happened five years ago. So why only raise it now? BASOC is the only organizing committee that submitted its liquidation report three months after the games. Why single it out? Everyone rejoiced when we emerged as SEA Games champion for the first time in 23 years. I wonder if this is the price that I have to pay for my sacrifices in upholding the national pride and in defense of our flag and country.”

Lawyer Sixto Brillantes, head of the PSC’s legal panel, said the PSC action is pursuant to the recommendation of the Commission on Audit, which for four years has been demanding Puentevella to account for the funds to no avail.

“Year in and year out, COA has been demanding Puentevella to liquidate, but he continued to ignore those demands. So, the COA recommended to the POC to file the necessary case,” Brillantes said.

Brillantes cited all checks issued by the PSC in 2005 for BASOC were allegedly deposited by Puentevella through a personal bank account with the RCBC, which is a complete violation of the law.

“The fact that it was a personal bank account with RCBC is already a big violation,” he said.

Angping also said the PSC is reviewing and studying the possibility of going after the PHILSOC, headed by POC president Jose Cojuangco Jr. and the CebuSOC.

Based on COA documents, the PHILSOC and the CebuSOC have unliquidated funds of P167.6 million and P10 million, respectively.

“It’s not only Basoc but also Philsoc and the Cebusoc. We will go ahead with Basoc because we have already gathered complete documents from the COA,” Angping said.

“It looks like there was conspiracy among several agencies, including PHILSOC, the PSC itself and some other entities and individuals. We will also go after them,” Brillantes said.

Bacolod was one of two satellite venues for the 2005 edition of the biennial games, the other one being Cebu. Manila was the main hub.

Brillantes said all the pieces of evidence didn’t actually come from the PSC but from COA itself.

“The COA here is our principal witness since all evidences that we are going to submit to the DOJ come from them,” said Brillantes.

Puentevella, who also sits as chairman of the House committee on transportation and communications, said he was made to believe all of the requirements for the P50.5 million Basoc funding were complied with.

“I’m now being forced to put all the pieces together four years after our hosting of the SEA Games, for something that is not my fault, and I’m actually being persecuted in public because of it,” Puentevella said in a privilege speech he delivered Wednesday evening.