Monday, May 05, 2008 Lawmaker wants House to probe bribery claims vs Hanjin By Annabelle L. Ricalde
CONGRESS is set to investigate the counter-allegations of bribery and extortion between a town mayor and South Korean giant Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Corp., which has earlier ditched its $2-billion shipyard project in Misamis Oriental.
Cagayan de Oro 2nd district Representative Rufus Rodriguez said he will file Monday a resolution at the Lower House to shed light on the attempted bribery allegation of Tagoloan Mayor Paulino Emano against Hanjin officials and the latter's claim that it was Emano who tried to extort money from them.
"This matter should be investigated and it is Congress that should be able to bring all the parties forward and have them testify under oath," Rodriguez told reporters Sunday.
"We will not do anything unfriendly to foreign businessmen as long as they follow our environmental and business laws," the lawmaker added.
In a press conference last Friday, Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said Hanjin told President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that Mayor Emano and Villanueva Mayor Juliette Uy had tried to extort the South Korean firm in exchange for allowing the site clearing operations of Hanjin go unhampered.
The Tagoloan mayor denied the allegation insisting that it was Hanjin, which tried to bribe him with P400 million worth of contract after he ordered the company's clearing operation in his town stopped.
Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro tried but failed to reach Mayor Uy for comment Sunday.
Local environment officials, along with Emano, Uy, and Hanjin officials will be summoned in the Lower House probe, said Rodriguez.
He said the House investigation would not duplicate the ongoing Senate inquiry on Hanjin's construction of a staff house condominium inside Subic, where it is also building a $1.7 billion shipyard.
Rodriguez explained that the probe would focus on the counter allegations between the involved parties and the reasons for delay of Hanjin's environmental clearance despite having started its site clearing operations early this year.
An official of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) had earlier said that the environment compliance certificate (ECC) application for the shipyard facility has not been released yet due to lacking requirements.
Misamis Oriental Governor Oscar Moreno has earlier called on Emano to pinpoint Hanjin officials involved in the bribery attempt.
The governor said it would be prudent for the Tagoloan mayor to "bring the matter to courts and identify those who are involved in the bribery attempt-if this claim is true."
Even before the spat on its Misamis Oriental project, Hanjin has already had second thoughts on its recent investments in the country.
Early last month, Hanjin Philippines president JS Shim said they may rethink their investments in the Philippines in the wake of negative media publicity on its Subic shipyard facility.
