Guards bar entry of man who wants to check PJ’s house

CEBU, Philippines - A concerned citizen who asked the anti-graft office to conduct a lifestyle check on One Cebu gubernatorial candidate and third district Rep. Pablo John “PJ” Garcia was barred from entering the Guadalupe Heights Subdivision yesterday.

Roberto Letaba brought some members of media in his attempt to go to the house of Garcia.

Letaba wanted to find out if the house is really worth P10 million and if it is true that Garcia made his residence public.

But at the subdivision’s gate, two security guards barred the vehicles of Letaba and the media.

Garcia was having a campaign in southern towns of Ronda and Moalboal yesterday but the guard said somebody from the house advised them not to allow anybody to enter.

Letaba said that by not allowing him and the members of the media to enter contradicted the earlier claim of Garcia that his house was not hidden.

In asking the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas to look into the statement of assets, liabilities and net worth of  Garcia, Letaba cited inconsistencies in the cost of the latter’s residential house.

He said Garcia declared an acquisition cost of his house at P900,000 in 2008 but the value ballooned to P10.4 million as of December 31, 2011.

Garcia already explained the alleged discrepancies cited by Letaba, saying that what was acquired for P900,000 was the lot with no road-right-of-way (RROW).

Garcia said the house was built through a P10 million loan from a bank in 2008.

 Letaba yesterday showed copy of court record of a civil case of suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia in which Pablo John was the counsel.

It said that as lawyer of his sister, he was swamped with personal, emotional and financial problems that instead of effectively defending the case, his time was spent attending his own personal problems.

Letaba said that the record would show that Pablo John was not that rich in 2002 before he entered politics in 2007 when his SALN showed his cash in the amount of P2 million; P12 million in 2008 and 2009; P3.5 million in 2010 and P2.5 million in 2011.

Garcia challenged Letaba to put his allegations under oath when it was found out that his complaint did not even have his mailing address.

Letaba said he will put it under oath as soon as he is asked by the anti-graft investigators. — (FREEMAN)