House to probe SBMA anomalies
By: Raul S. Beltran - Journal OnLine
THE House committee on good government, whose membership has yet to be finalized, will have a major congressional investigation in its hands.
Crossing party lines, congressmen on Wednesday tasked the committee to conduct an inquiry into the alleged irregularities at the Subic Freeport, where officials of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) are “making the area a territory of their own.”
In a privilege speech, Rep. Emil Ong (KAMPI, Northern Samar) accused SBMA officials, headed by its chairman, Feliciano Salonga, of defying a court order protecting a group of Taiwanese investors from being driven out of a golf course they developed in the free port.
Ong said the SBMA officials have been ignoring a court injunction enjoining them to allow the Hu family of the Universal Group of Taiwan to continue operating Subic Golf Course at the former American military base.
The neophyte lawmaker said the case stemmed from an earlier SBMA directive asking the Hus and their group to pay some P15 million in alleged rental arrears for occupying the property where the golf course was developed.
But the court, according to Ong, issued a status quo order enjoining SBMA against ejecting the golf course operators, noting that the Hus have existing 50-year lease on the property.
The court also noted that the Taiwanese firm has spent over P1.2 billion in developing the golf course, he said.
“The SBMA officials have wantonly violated the basic human rights of these Taiwanese nationals who have reposed their faith and trust in our own country by investing billions of pesos in Subic. The SBMA officials have taken the law into their own hands,” the solon said.
“Defiance of the court order could send wrong signals to foreign investors to our country. They have sabotaged the effort of our President and other government officials who are going around the world precisely to invite foreign investors to our country,” Ong said in his speech.
While not making any direct mention of why the Taiwanese firm is driven out of the free port, the lawmaker insinuated that a South Korean group is seeking to operate the golf course.
Opposition Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (PMP, Cagayan de Oro) hinted that the SBMA officials may have violated the Code of Ethical Standards for Public Officials for “unilaterally” canceling the Taiwanese firm’s lease contract without due process.
Rep. Mitos Magsaysay (Lakas, Zambales) said the Hu family is responsible for inviting a “lot of Taiwanese investors” to do business at the Subic Free Port.
Rep. Pablo Garcia (KAMPI, Cebu) said a contract of lease can only be terminated when the term of contract has expired and when there is non-payment of the rental or when there is a violation of the contract of lease.
THE House committee on good government, whose membership has yet to be finalized, will have a major congressional investigation in its hands.
Crossing party lines, congressmen on Wednesday tasked the committee to conduct an inquiry into the alleged irregularities at the Subic Freeport, where officials of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) are “making the area a territory of their own.”
In a privilege speech, Rep. Emil Ong (KAMPI, Northern Samar) accused SBMA officials, headed by its chairman, Feliciano Salonga, of defying a court order protecting a group of Taiwanese investors from being driven out of a golf course they developed in the free port.
Ong said the SBMA officials have been ignoring a court injunction enjoining them to allow the Hu family of the Universal Group of Taiwan to continue operating Subic Golf Course at the former American military base.
The neophyte lawmaker said the case stemmed from an earlier SBMA directive asking the Hus and their group to pay some P15 million in alleged rental arrears for occupying the property where the golf course was developed.
But the court, according to Ong, issued a status quo order enjoining SBMA against ejecting the golf course operators, noting that the Hus have existing 50-year lease on the property.
The court also noted that the Taiwanese firm has spent over P1.2 billion in developing the golf course, he said.
“The SBMA officials have wantonly violated the basic human rights of these Taiwanese nationals who have reposed their faith and trust in our own country by investing billions of pesos in Subic. The SBMA officials have taken the law into their own hands,” the solon said.
“Defiance of the court order could send wrong signals to foreign investors to our country. They have sabotaged the effort of our President and other government officials who are going around the world precisely to invite foreign investors to our country,” Ong said in his speech.
While not making any direct mention of why the Taiwanese firm is driven out of the free port, the lawmaker insinuated that a South Korean group is seeking to operate the golf course.
Opposition Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (PMP, Cagayan de Oro) hinted that the SBMA officials may have violated the Code of Ethical Standards for Public Officials for “unilaterally” canceling the Taiwanese firm’s lease contract without due process.
Rep. Mitos Magsaysay (Lakas, Zambales) said the Hu family is responsible for inviting a “lot of Taiwanese investors” to do business at the Subic Free Port.
Rep. Pablo Garcia (KAMPI, Cebu) said a contract of lease can only be terminated when the term of contract has expired and when there is non-payment of the rental or when there is a violation of the contract of lease.
Labels: congress, kampi, salonga, sbma, Subic Bay Golf, Taiwan.
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