Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (INQUIRER file photo0
MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives quad committee has turned over documents related to properties allegedly owned by Chinese nationals to the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to prevent the sale of such properties to other individuals.
In a press briefing on Monday, Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said that the properties involved were the warehouses in Pampanga checked by his panel, the House committee on dangerous drugs, and eventually, the quad committee.
“Today, the quad comm will turn over documents pertaining to the land acquisitions and properties believed to be owned, procured, acquired by Chinese nationals […] we have discovered that there are several Chinese personalities who acquired thousands of hectares of land in the province of Pampanga,” Barbers, lead presiding officer of the quad committee, said.
Barbers clarified that the turnover of the documents to OSG does not mean that the quad committee has finished probing the issue.
“No, it’s not the end, this is because we only saw that we have what I think is a sufficient and substantial investigation done, particularly with these Chinese nationals and their corporation, Empire 999, owned by Mr. Willie Ong, Mr. Aedy Tai Yang,” he noted.
“Part of the recommendation of the quad committee is to turn over these documents to the Office of the Solicitor General in order to conduct their own investigation for possible, forfeiture proceedings for these properties […] So we feel that immediately, we have to initiate the forfeiture proceedings so that criminals would not elude us,” he added.
Barbers said there was already an incident where a parcel of land, part of the House panels’ investigations ,were sold to a Filipino businessman, who thought that he was transacting with a fellow Filipino.
“Baka maibenta ho ‘yan eh. Kagaya no’ng isang property ay naibenta, ‘yong six hectares yata na-benta yata do’n sa Mr. Rudy Ngo. Buyer in good faith siya, akala naman niya Pilipino ‘yong kausap niya until he discovered that hindi pala ito totoong Pilipino,” he noted.
(These might be sold if we do not act, like one property sold, a six-hectare land sold to Mr. Rudy Ngo. He was buying the land in good faith; he thought he was transacting with a Filipino until he discovered otherwise.)
Last May 22, Barbers said that a certain Willie Ong — believed to be the owner of the warehouse in Pampanga where over 500 kilograms of shabu were seized — acquired parcels of land by using a fake Filipino identity.
Prior to this, the lawmaker urged authorities to check the possibility of China’s creeping invasion of the Philippines, by using its nationals to purchase land and property.
According to Barbers, they are trying to avoid a scenario where the land would be bought because if the land is forfeited, it will have to be returned to the government.
“Our estimate, there are thousands of hectares involved. We do not have the final figure, but if we base it on the number of titles acquired, transferred to a Chinese national or to the corporation that was registered, these would be around 300-400 titles,” Barbers said.
“So what (Assistant Solicitor General) Atty. (Hermes) Ocampo said, that they will study this, initiate the escheat proceedings, is correct. Because if ever we recover this, it has to be recovered in favor of the national government. Because there was a fraud that happened, people bought land, but all these properties were fraudulently acquired,” he added.
Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez meanwhile urged the OSG to coordinate with Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, as the latter issued an asset preservation order for the Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hub in Bamban, Tarlac, so that it will not be sold to other people.