Aman boss blames firm exec for financial woes

MANUEL AMALILIO: Suspected mastermind disappears. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

CEBU CITY—Manuel Amalilio, CEO of Aman Futures Group Phils. Inc., has blamed another company official, Fernando Luna, for the financial woes of the firm.

In a 2.16-minute video footage posted on YouTube, Amalilio apologized to at least 15,000 investors and promised to return their capital in two years.

“Peace be upon you, brothers and sisters. To the investor, I am willing to pay back only the capital since Aman investment has a financial crisis due to (the) unexplained shortage of funds by Fernando ‘Nonoy’ Luna,” Amalilio said.

He said he had helped Luna “pay all his shortage(s)” and had even used his personal money to do so.

Amalilio claimed that Luna bought a lot of properties and accepted investments, even in the form of land titles. “How can we trade using land title?” he asked.

The company’s articles of incorporation said its primary purpose was to engage in buying, selling, distributing, marketing at wholesale or retail all kinds of goods but not limited to palm oil, gold, coconut oil, manganese, nickel, ore and any agricultural products, commodities, wares and merchandise of every kind and description.

In the video footage, Amalilio said his intention was to help the poor.

“I can live a life of luxury with my own money together with my family. But now, I lost my family,” he said.

He said he understood the situation of the investors and apologized to them. “Please forgive me for the late action since I want to prioritize my safety first before finding a solution to the problem,” he said.

Amalilio promised the investors that he would return only their capital because it would be impossible to pay them the interest as Aman Futures Trading had ceased operations.

“In one year or two years’ time, I will do my best to make these things possible. But also, I need your cooperation. As of now I am in the process of solving this matter,” said Amalilio.

“As soon as there is no problem, no media,”  he promised to resume trading and deliver the funds to the investors.

“But please, pray a lot and we hope, God willing and (with) God’s blessing, things will be solved. Thank you and amen,” he said in the video footage.

The video footage titled “Manuel K Amalilio (Aman Future Trading)” was posted on Nov. 5 by one Kirk Leighton Eguia whose profile account indicated that he was from Pagadian City.

The video footage appeared to have been taken inside a vehicle. Amalilio, clad in white polo shirt with black and gray stripes, was in the front passenger seat.

It had 6,525 views as of 3 p.m. on Thursday. Some comments talked of threats and comeuppance on the part of Amalilio for duping the investors. But there were those who remained hopeful.

So far, eight Cebu-based complainants have completed the documentary requirements for the filing of the case against Aman Futures, said Eduard Villarta, National Bureau of Investigation director for Central Visayas.

Villarta said the NBI was filing syndicated estafa cases against Amalilio and the six other incorporators—Luna, Lelian Lim Gan, Eduard Lim, William Fuentes, Naezelle Rodriguez and Lurix Lopez.

The seven were identified as the incorporators of Aman Futures in the articles of incorporation and certificate of incorporation, copies of which were shown to the media by Lindeza Gavino, regional director of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).