Ongpin files libel raps vs DBP execs

MANILA, Philippines - Former trade minister Roberto Ongpin filed libel and graft complaints yesterday against Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) board chairman Jose Nuñez Jr. before the Office of the Ombudsman.

He also sued DBP president and chief executive officer Francisco del Rosario Jr., DBP legal counsel Zenaida Ongkiko-Acorda, and unnamed members of the DBP Board of Directors.

Ongpin, a businessman by profession, said the respondents maligned his reputation and that of his company, Delta Ventures Resources Inc. (DVRI), in accusing former and current officials of the DBP of granting his firm P660 million in behest loans in 2009.

In a 15-page complaint, he said the respondents, through press releases and statements issued after a graft complaint was filed against him last month before the Office of the Ombudsman, made false and libelous statements against him before the media.

Ongpin denied that the transactions he and DVRI had with the DBP two years ago were anomalous or irregular, stressing that “my transactions with DBP were all regular and legitimate.”

The graft charges filed by Nuñez and Del Rosario against former DBP president Reynaldo David and more than two dozen former and current DBP officials last Aug. 5 exposed an allegedly anomalous transaction wherein a small firm like DVRI was granted P660 million in behest loans, part of which was used to buy shares of stocks that was later sold at higher prices per share.

The Office of the Ombudsman later found sufficient basis to conduct a preliminary investigation and ordered all respondents to answer the charges.

Apart from libel, Ongpin said Nuñez, Del Rosario and Ongkiko-Acorda should be held liable for violating Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for causing him undue injury with their statements to the media.

Ongpin is the second respondent in the graft case filed by Nuñez and Del Rosario to retaliate by also filing complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman.

On Wednesday, DBP executive vice president and chief operating officer Edgardo Garcia also filed graft and coercion charges, accusing Nuñez of allegedly forcing bank executives and employees to concoct evidence and make false testimonies against Ongpin.