Land Bank employee denies 'ill-gotten' wealth charges

Monday, February 13, 2012

THE Davao City-based employee of the Land Bank of the Philippines denied accusations on Monday he accumulated ill-gotten wealth for the past 15 years.

"Dili gyud na siya tinuod. Makita man nimo naa man tanan kompleto diri (That is not true. You can see it all here)," Elmer Luceño Olores, LBP-Davao agrarian affairs specialist, told Sun.Star Davao, pointing to his personal records of Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN).

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Contrary to reports, Olores's records showed that he has submitted his SALN for the years 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2009.

He said the alleged 400-square-meter residential lot in Quirino District, Padada, Davao del Sur, which is actually 600 square meters, that he failed to report as his asset in his SALN was not his but he has acquired it from his parents.

He said the couple of motorcycles that he also allegedly failed to declare were products of his loan from the LBP, adding that he has actually loaned five motorcycles.

Olores said as mandated by law, they were required to submit their SALNs yearly that even the smallest things they acquire would appear in his records.

He said he has not yet received any copy of complaints filed from the Office of the Ombudsman regarding his alleged "ill-gotten" wealth.

He said he is very much willing to answer the charges before the court if there is any.

To recall, records from the Department of Finance-Revenue Integrity Protection Service (DOF-Rips) showed that Olores failed to submit his sworn SALN's for 14 years and reported conflicting information in the same documents.

Records also showed that Olores allegedly did not report several assets in his SALNs including a 400-square-meter residential lot in Padada, Davao del Sur, a two-storey residential house in Babak, and a couple of motorcycles registered separately in his name and that of his wife.

Officemates of the accused said Monday Olores is known to be thrifty and frugal, adding that the news report is allegedly malicious. (Arianne Caryl N. Casas)