NORZAGARAY, Bulacan – Senate President Manny Villar’s worries are far from over.
This came after a group of Bulacan businessmen called on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to order an investigation on the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) alleged conspiracy with powerful and influential individuals in the acquisition and foreclosure of land properties here.
“We strongly believe that there exist irregularities, anomalies and a conspiracy involving the BSP over the acquisition, foreclosures and management of land properties wherein hundreds of millions of pesos are evidently siphoned off the government to favor certain powerful and influential individuals,” said Ramon Angelo, president of the Waste Custodian Management (Wacuman).
Angelo is also the proponent of the largest sanitary landfill in the country located at the Sitio Tiakad, Barangay San Mateo here.
He said that he tried to establish a sanitary landfill here in 2005 to address looming solid waste problem in the country. However, his project was put on hold several times due to allegations of the BSP that they own the property where the project is being established.
Based on the documents obtained by Punto, the BSP is claiming 715 hectares of land where Wacuman’s category 4 sanitary land fill’s 18 hectare lot is located.
Documents also showed that BSP’s claim came after the company of Senate President Manuel Villar mortgaged the said property to the Central Bank and was foreclosed seven years ago.
Angelo said that Villar failed to redeemed the said property and he offered the BSP to buy part of the said foreclosed property only to be informed that Villar’s group remain interested on it.
“I was told by BSP Assistant Governor Rene Carreon that Senator Villar is still interested and when I insisted on buying it, Carreon said it was a case of friendly foreclosure,” Angelo said.
The same was echoed by Arthur Legazpi, the executive vice president of the Wacuman who was with Angelo then.
Legazpi said they were surprise to here Carreon’s statement noting that “friendly foreclosure” may become the new term in the so called “corruptionary” to replace “tong pats.”
“Carreon also mentioned huge losses of the BSP because of the said foreclosure,” Legazpi said.
In an earlier interview, Carreon admitted to a Bulacan reporter that Villar’s group remains interested on the foreclosed property while Villar said that he don’t know about it.
Villar added that he will talk with Jun Adriano on the matter to explain the issue.
Sources said that Adriano is the chief of staff of Villar and reportedly connected with the housing development projects of the senate president who made a fortune in real estate business.
