LMP head shrugs off influence-peddling raps

PANGASINAN , Philippines  – Binalonan town Mayor Ramon Guico Jr., president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), shrugged off accusations by two Australian investors that he had used his closeness to President Arroyo to dupe them into investing P6.7 million in a recruitment firm that went bankrupt.

“They are so small-time for accusing me of using my ties with the President with that amount only,” Guico told The STAR in Tagalog.

He said he has never used the President’s name in any of his dealings, adding that it is Mrs. Arroyo who publicly says that they are cousins.

In a letter-complaint to Malacañang, the two Australian recruitment managers, David Young and Greg Nicholson, through lawyer Ramon Dino, alleged that they were duped into investing P6.7 million with an assurance that they would get 25 percent ownership of the firm and take part in running it.

They also alleged that they shelled out an additional P1.6 million for supposed joint ventures.

The two investors, who said they recruited skilled Filipino workers for jobs in Australia, said they later found themselves eased out of the company and the 25 percent share promised them was never delivered.

Guico said the complainants must come to the Philippines and talk with her wife Arlene and a certain Ella Rodriguez who had introduced them to the Guicos “so they can make the necessary computations about money matters regarding their investments in the company, Global Philippines.”

“The problem with these Australians is they are forum-shopping. Why don’t they talk straight to my wife and Ella to settle these things?” he said.

Guico said he found it funny that he and his wife, who have huge assets in the poultry business and own the World City Colleges in Quezon City, Caloocan and Antipolo, a hospital and an aviation school, among others, are being accused of such a “barya-barya (loose change)” transaction.

Guico said he didn’t know the two Australians from Adam but since they became partners of his wife’s company, they requested that they tagged along when he and other LMP officials were sworn in by the President.

Guico said he had no direct hand in his wife’s company and dared the complainants to show proof that he pressured them into investing and used his influence.

He also belied the Australians’ claim that they were dumped and eased out of the affairs of the company and never got the 25 percent supposedly promised them.

“From what was told to me, as I do not really have direct knowledge about them, they were the ones who left,” he said. “The problem with them is they also dragged my name into this.”

“If these two will not stop with their baseless accusations, I will be forced to sue them,” he warned.

The company recruited Filipino workers to Australia who did not have to pay anything, as their expenses would be deducted from their salaries.

However, it went bankrupt when its financier in Australia allegedly directly gave the Filipino workers their salaries, remitting nothing to pay for the expenses in processing the workers’ papers.

The two Australians said the first batch of 37 workers sent to Australia had complained about unfair treatment from their Filipino counterparts and the firm went bankrupt last month because of mismanagement. – With Perseus Echeminada