Businesswoman calls jueteng witness a ‘heroine of liars’

A 62-year-old businesswoman, who was allegedly swindled by Sandra Cam of more than P200,000, urged the Senate yesterday to dig deeper into the background of the jueteng whistleblower.

In an interview at her Quezon City home over the weekend, Susan Sandejas-Gomez said Cam failed to pay her some P260,000 for the rent of two apartments in Malate, Manila.

The lease contract was from Aug. 11 to Sept. 2003, she added.

Gomez said the estafa charges which she had filed against Cam last year have not been acted upon by the Quezon City Prosecutors Office.

The case was filed in Quezon City because they signed the lease contract at her home in UP Village, Quezon City, she added.

Gomez said she was disappointed that Cam was able to take the senators for a ride during her testimony in which she had implicated in jueteng payoffs the son and brother-in-law of President Arroyo, Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo and Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio "Iggy" Arroyo.

"Ano ba nangyari sa mga senators natin (What has happened to our senators) that they were willing to risk their integrity to be considered stupid just for Sandra Cam?" she said.

"What do you think you can do believe out of her... She cannot be believed for anything, she will say or do anything for money. Why make a her a heroine? She should be a heroine of liars."

Gomez said she was watching the nationwide telecast from the House of Representatives of the second jueteng inquiry last June when she heard Cam’s name.

"At first, I did not know it was her until her name flashed on the TV screen," she said.

Gomez said upon seeing Cam’s name on television, she immediately texted her son-in-law, Alex Santos, a reporter of ABS-CBN Channel 2, to warn him about Cam.

"If they didn’t tell that it was Sandra Cam, I may have not recognized her," she said.

Cam’s appearance seemed to have "changed" since she last met her a few years ago, she added.

Gomez said the swindling case against Cam has been dragging on since 2003 after Cam made herself "scarce," and until she saw a "new" Cam on television last June.

"At first (it) was okay until she failed to pay her obligations," she said.

"She had many excuses, bigyan siya ng panahon kasi nabagyo (just give her a chance because of the typhoon), she would have to sell the cattle in her ranch.

"She said she cannot settle with me immediately because she has to go on some errands, to rush to see (Ilocos Norte Rep.) Imee Marcos, etc. When she said she would pay, she would not pay."

Gomez said she had problems encashing subsequent checks drawn from Banco Filipino under Cam’s bank account because of lack of funds.

Cam had issued 20 postdated checks to pay the rent for units 1074 and 1072 of a four-door apartment along Estrada street in Malate, she added.

The rent was paid for the first six months with checks issued by one Atty. Romeo Ataat, whom Cam introduced as one of her partners in her caregiving school, Gomez said.

A copy of the contract showed that Cam and her associates at the World Link Management and Training Services, Inc. had agreed to rent the two units for five years, from Aug. 26, 2002 to Aug. 25, 2007.

Cam and Gomez initially agreed on a P20,000 rent for each unit for the first two years, to increase to P22,000 for the next two years and then to P24,000 for the last and fifth year.

The term was supposedly renewable, upon agreement of both parties, after the contract has lapsed.

Gomez was supposed to testify, along with Charito Palad, another alleged victim of Cam, during last week’s Senate inquiry on jueteng presided by Senators Manuel Villar and Lito Lapid.

However, they were not presented after the senators adjourned the hearings.

Villar and Lapid have vowed to continue the hearings this week.

Senate President Franklin Drilon said yesterday he is leaving it to Villar and Lapid as well as the members of the committees on games and amusement, and of public order.

The two committees are spearheading the senate investigation on the reported involvement of government officials in jueteng payoffs.