Thursday, 14 June 2012

BCDA CEO ARNEL CASANOVA FACES PERJURY CHARGE

by Jorge Cariño, ABS-CBN News

Posted at 06/14/2012 7:15 PM | Updated as of 06/14/2012 7:15 PM
MANILA, Philippines - A perjury complaint has been filed by the developer of Camp John Hay in Baguio City against the president and chief executive officer of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) before the Office of the City Prosecutor in Manila.

Manuel Ubarra Jr., vice president for litigation of the Camp John Hay Development Corporation (CJHDevCo), sued BCDA's Arnel Paciano Casanova for perjury because Casanova allegedly accused CJHDevCo officials of using false pretenses to deceive and induce the agency to enter into a "dacion en pago" agreement on May 27, 2011, in order to settle its outstanding obligation with BCDA.

The CJHDevCo official accused Casanova of perjuring himself when he filed an estafa complaint against officials of CJHDevCo before Senior State Prosecutor Philip Kimpo at the Department of Justice last March.

Casanova claimed that due to the false pretenses of CJHDevCo officers, the BCDA was deceived and induced to enter into an agreement dated May 27 2010 with the CJHDevCo wherein the latter transferred to BCDA ownership and possession of 5 log homes in Camp John Hay in exchange for the condonation of its outstanding obligation with BCDA.

Casanova claimed the government agency would never have given its consent to and entered into the agreement had it known that one of the log homes, Log Home No. 9, had been previously sold in 1999 by CJHDevCo to another person identified as Wilson Sy.

"He (Mr. Casanova) had the opportunity to verify that no prior sale was in existence at the time CJHDevCo transferred the property in question to BCDA in 2010 and yet he didn't do it" said former Solicitor General Frank Chavez, who accompanied Ubarra in filing the complaint.
He said the case filed Thursday afternoon before the City Prosecutor's Office of Manila is just a first of several cases that they will file against the BCDA president.
They will try to seek damages in another case that will be filed before the court.