Senate to start probe on 2 Hanjin projects

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate will begin today its investigation into alleged violations of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Corp. in two of its projects in the country, but the mayors involved in the alleged extortion-bribery in the Korean firm’s Misamis Oriental investment won’t be around.

Investigators, however, are saying that the mayors and local government officials are not yet off the hook.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, chairman of the Blue Ribbon committee, said his panel would join the probe because of the decision of the Arroyo administration to expedite the approval of the Hanjin project in Misamis Oriental despite reports that the Koreans offered Tagoloan Mayor Paulino Emano a bribe.

The Senate committee on environment and natural resources chaired by Sen. Pia Cayetano will deal more on the supposed environmental violations of Hanjin.

President Arroyo allegedly ignored Emano when he told her about the bribe offer but was reportedly enraged when Hanjin officials said it was the mayor who was extorting money from them.

Emano and Villanueva Mayor Julliette Uy have executed separate affidavits denying Hanjin had offered them bribes.

“We will ask why the rush to start or implement the project despite the lack of environmental clearances or violation of environmental laws,” the Blue Ribbon committee chair said.

The investigation must be pursued even if “Hanjin and the mayors are now saying that this is moot because there is a denial that there was extortion or that there was a bribe offer,” the younger Cayetano said.

He said the investigation should not turn off investors from coming into the country.

He added that if foreign corporations doing business in the Philippines would snub Senate hearings, they would make recommendations on how these firms should conduct themselves in the country vis-a-vis local laws.

“Because if we only require Philippine corporations to follow our laws but foreign corporations are exempt, we’re putting them in a better position than Filipino corporations,” he said.

His elder sister Pia, on the other hand, said her committee would continue the investigation into Hanjin’s construction of condominiums in a Subic rainforest inside the free port as the necessary permits for the project were apparently also lacking.

Those expected to attend are Hanjin president Jeong Sup Shim, Korean Chambers of Commerce of the Philippines’ Jae Jung Jang, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority officials and the police authorities who investigated the alleged bribery or extortion in the Misamis Oriental project.

Not yet off the hook

Meanwhile, Senior Superintendent Joel Napoleon Coronel, Task Force Tagovill lead investigator, said the investigation will continue into the possible liability of local government officials in the alleged extortion on Hanjin officials.

“We have no substantive evidence to indicate that there was an extortion actually made by local government officials with the Hanjin executives. However, we are reviewing the actions taken by the local government officials which might be tantamount to abuse of authority in the issuance of a stoppage order in Hanjin,” he said.

Coronel said they are now reviewing the stoppage order to determine the violation of the local government code.

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno ordered the PNP to investigate allegations of a P400-million bribe offer to a local executive, and a case of violent confrontation involving a representative of the Korean-industrial company in Northern Mindanao.

Hanjin is the proponent of the $2-billion Mindanao Training Center Project that is being put up in the municipalities of Tagoloan and Villanueva in Misamis Oriental, which is expected to generate some 45,000 jobs in Northern Mindanao.– Cecille Suerte Felipe, Nikki Angulo, Ana Mae Roa