JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II pledge Wednesday to conduct a transparent investigation into the alleged anomalous deal between the Tagum Agricultural Development Corporation's (Tadeco) and the Bureau of Corrections (Bucor).
House Speaker Alvarez Pantaleon Alvarez had said that the deal signed by Bucor with Tadeco, the biggest banana exporter in the country owned by the family of Representative Antonio Floirendo Jr. (Davao del Norte, 2nd district), is "disadvantageous to the government."
The deal has transformed the 5,308-hectare Davao Penal Colony (Dapecol) into a banana plantation.
In a letter addressed to Alvarez, the Justice Secretary said the DOJ has created a committee to immediately conduct a probe that will focus on the "legality" of the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) signed on May 21, 2003.
According to Aguirre, the findings in the probe will be submitted to Alvarez' office once finished.
In a letter submitted by Alvarez on March 30, he said that DOJ must scrap the deal of Bucor with Floirendo's Tadeco.
The JVA has allowed Tadeco to extend the use of up to 5,308.36 hectares of Dapecol for another 25 years as a banana plantation.
Under the agreement, the Bucor shall get profit shares of around P26.5 million every year.
Alvarez in a letter told the DOJ that Floirendo, who was a congressman and a shareholder at Tadeco when the JVA was signed in 2003, violated the law, and that violation alone is enough to scrap the deal.
"By virtue of this, Representative Floirendo, Jr. committed a blatant violated of Section 3(h) of Republic Act No. 3019, otherwise known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits government officials from having financial interests in government contracts, as provided in the 1987 Constitution," Alvarez said.
Last week, Alvarez filed graft complaint against Floirendo at the Office of the Ombudsman and called for a congressional inquiry into the issue.
Alvarez filed the complaint after the alleged altercation between the legislators' live in partners Cathy Binag and Jennifer Vicencio.
Alvarez, however, denied that the alleged spat between their partners prompted him to file a case against his party mate Floirendo. (SunStar Philippines)