Army officer’s wife opposes Abu’s confirmation

An Army officer’s wife has filed with the Commission on Appointments an opposition to the confirmation of Gen. Efren Abu as chief of staff of the Armed Forces.

In her letter-complaint addressed to Senate President Franklin Drilon, Haydie Lagnada claimed that Abu abused his authority and caused her a "great injustice" by ordering the non-payment to her of six Philippine Army checks worth P2.8 million.

The AFP yesterday said the complaint against Abu has no legal basis and was apparently meant to block his confirmation in the CA. "It has no legal basis," said AFP public information officer Lt. Col. Buenaventura Pascual of the allegations against Abu.

Lagnada narrated that in December 2003, she delivered hospital supplies and equipment to Felfran Enterprises, owned by a certain Nelia Ayson, which has a contract with the Army worth P10.7 million. She said she procured the supplies and equipment from Landmark Distributors, whose general manager is Jep Lescano, who, she added, she found out later to be a relative of Abu.

Lagnada, who apparently acted as a broker or trader in the deal, said after the supplies and equipment were delivered, "I was authorized by Ms. Ayson to secure the checks which were in payment of the delivered hospital and medical supplies and equipment from the Philippine Army."

She added that six checks for a total of P2.8 million were released to her.

"However, when the checks were already in my possession, the chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Efren Abu, ordered the non-encashment/non-payment of the said checks on the complaint of Ms. Ayson allegedly on the ground that I had no authority to secure the same," she recounted.

She said the non-payment of the checks was also instigated by Lescano, "whom I later found out to be a close relative of the chief of staff."

She said Abu’s action resulted in "my prejudice and damage as my share to which I am legally entitled from the said amount was never given to me."

The Armed Forces chief ordered the non-payment in November 2004, nearly a year after the checks were released to the complainant.

In a memorandum order to the commanding general of the Army, Abu said an investigation "revealed that some military personalities were involved in the facilitation of the irregular release of the commercial checks. The legal claimants of the checks are the Gazzax and Felfran Enterprises."

Lagnada’s latter to Drilon, accompanied by a sworn statement, was dated last March 11. However, reached by phone yesterday, Drilon told The STAR that as of last Friday, he has not received Lagnada’s complaint.

The complainant is the wife of Lt. Col. Hilario Lagnada, who has been relieved by Abu as chief of the Army’s logistic management division and ordered investigated for graft in connection with the transaction involving his spouse.

According to his wife, the Army officer has been accused of violating a "vague" memorandum prohibiting relatives of military personnel from doing business with the Armed Forces. The CA bypassed Abu last week because its defense committee, chaired by Camiguin Rep. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo, did not endorse his confirmation. Last Friday, a military officer, who did not want to be identified, told reporters that Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay Jr. had allegedly asked Abu to go slow on Lt. Col. Lagnada, a request that the chief of staff politely turned down. Apparently, this was what cost Abu his confirmation. — With Cecille Suerte Felipe