DOJ submits probe report on Nayong Pilipino’s ‘flawed’ contract

By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan

August 31, 2018, 9:55 am

MANILA -- The Department of Justice (DOJ) has completed the probe into the lease contract that Nayong Pilipino Foundation, Inc. (NPFI) entered into with Landing Resorts Philippines Development Corp. (LRPDC) and submitted the report to President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

“We have transmitted our findings and recommendations to Office of the President on Wednesday. Let’s just wait for President’s action on it,” DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra told reporters.

The probe came after President Duterte instructed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to review the contract, which the President has described as "flawed".

Guevarra has instructed the office of the government counsel, as statutory counsel of all Government-Owned and -Controlled Corporations (GOCC), under the direct supervision of the DOJ to immediately review all the relevant facts and re-evaluate and examine all contracts, agreements, and other documents related to the transaction, including the legal opinions previously rendered by the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel to NPFI and to submit a report with recommendations on the proper course of action for the government.

Last August 7, Duterte fired all members of the NPFI board and management due to a lease deal that the President called “gravely disadvantageous” to the government.

Under the lease contract, the LRPDC will reportedly develop a USD1.5-billion casino-resort in the NPFI property at Entertainment City in Parañaque City.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held on the same day that Duterte sacked the entire NPFI board and management. (PNA)

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