Top Duterte donor denies hand in deal assailed by House speaker

MANILA, Philippines — Davao Del Norte Rep. Antonio Floirendo Jr. on Wednesday denied involvement in a deal between a family-owned firm and the government that province- and party mate House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has charged him at the Office of the Ombudsman over.

"He had already made some public statements against me in the recent past," Floirendo said in a statement to media. "I had tried reaching out to him at that time but to no avail."

He added that he was surprised by the complaint, which he has yet to read.

"Meanwhile, I can assure everyone that I was not in any way involved in the negotiation of the Joint Venture Agreement between the Tagum Agricultural Development Co. and the Bureau of Corrections in 2003," he also said.

Alvarez said on DZMM TeleRadyo Wednesday morning that his complaint was based on Floirendo’s alleged violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act because when TADECO’s contract with BuCor was renewed in 2004, he was still a representative of Davao Del Norte.

Alvarez said that he had certificates from the Securities and Exchange Commission to prove that Floirendo did not divest himself from his company when it entered the contract.

He said: “Ito ay paglabag sa Saligang Batas at anti-graft law. Malinaw pa sa sikat ng araw na may problema talaga siya dun.”

The speaker also questioned the terms of the contract that he said were disadvantageous to the government.

He said that before BuCor could lease the land to TADECO but it should have done public bidding.

“Ito ho yung lupa ng Davao Penal Colony na nirentahan at tinamnan ng saging ng mga Floreindo," he said. He explained that the deal had been in place since the Marcos administration and was renewed in 2004.

"Nung ito ay ni-renew ay developed land na po ito. At dapat po dumaan ito sa public bidding,” he said, alleging that to avoid such a requirement, the parties made it appear as though there was a joint venture between TADECO and BuCor.

The speaker also disclosed that the share of the government per box of bananas from the land is only P1.30.

Alvarez also questioned the price that was given by TADECO for the penal colony land.  Alvarez claimed that the land, which is 5,308 hectares in size, is being rented for only P5,000 per hectare per year, when the going rate for raw land in the area is already P35,000 per hectare per year.

This could go higher as he noted that the land was already developed.

He also questioned if BuCor could engage in a joint venture under the government procurement law.

Another questionable point in the agreement was the renewal of the contract for 25 years when the going rate in the area was only five to 10 years for raw land, the speaker said.

“Ito po ay kinasa ng mahabang panahon at mababang presyo,” he said.

The speaker said that upon the resumption of the congressional session in May, the House will conduct a committee hearing on the contract.

For his former ally and friend, Alvarez has these words, “Mag-umpisa na siyang maglakad papunta sa kulungan. Hindi po ako nagbibiro.”

Floreindo said Wednesday that: "If our quarrel stems from a personal matter between Speaker Alvarez and myself, I appeal to the speaker to meet with me personally so that we can settle this like gentlemen."

Alvarez: Complaint not over girlfriends' spat

Alvarez also on Wednesday denied that the graft charge that he filed against Floirendo, the biggest campaign contributor of President Rodrigo Duterte, was because of a rift between their “girlfriends.”

He said that the story on the supposed rift between his and Floirendo’s girlfriends was just public relations work, and the focus should be on the contract betw.

"Binibigyan ng ibang slant yung kaso. Yung tsismis na 'yan, hindi po kikita ang bansa dyan. Kailangan po tumutok tayo doon mismo sa kontrata ng TADECO na ipinasok ng gobyerno," Alvarez said when asked about the reports.

On Wednesday, The STAR published a story that alleged that a feud between the two congressmen’s girlfriends could be the reason behind the falling out of the erstwhile allies.

Sources told the newspaper that the spat between the two started last October 2 when they attended the Masskara Festival in Bacolod City. This was where the speaker’s female companion shouted at the live-in partner of Floirendo, Cathy Binag, in front of many people.

It was reported that Alvarez was mad at Binag and Floirendo because the speaker’s wife Emily and his children would always run to the two whenever they were in trouble with the House leader.

Alvarez, who is married to Emelita Alvarez, acknowledged the quarrel between the two women but said that the focus should be on the main issue he raised.

“Hindi po. Ibang slant na po yung binibigay dyan. Sa akin, tingnan natin yung kontrata. Tama ba o mali, talo ba ang gobyerno o hindi? Tingnan natin yung demanda sa Ombudsman,” said Alvarez, who, in the past, called Catholic bishops sinners who had no moral ascendancy to judge what is right and wrong.