PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, August 30, stood by his decision to fire the entire board of the Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF), insisting that there was an irregularity in the state-run corporation's lease contract with Landing Resorts Philippines Development Corp. (LRPDC).
In a speech in Cebu, Duterte slammed the "denial" of the dismissed NPF officials that the $1.5-billion integrated resort and theme park called Nayon Landing project was disadvantageous to the government.
"Ngayon kung ganito naman kayong lahat, pati dito sa landing [project of NPF], itong kung ano-ano lang, of course, they are denying it. But the first draft, 'yung sa Nayong Pilipino, was really for 75 years," the President said.
(Now, if you're like this, even here in landing [project of NPF], and whatever it is, of course, they are denying it. But the first draft of the Nayong Pilipino was really for 75 years.)
"You grant a franchise for 75 years?... Sisenta singko anyos? You must be crazy. Seventy years iyang mag-sugal na," he added.
(You grant a franchise for 75 years?... Seventy-five years? You must be crazy. They would be engaged in gambling for 75 years.)
Duterte was reacting to the paid newspaper advertisement of NPF chair Patricia Ocampo, who maintained the legality of the 70-year lease contract with LRPDC at the Entertainment City in Parañaque.
On August 6, the Chief Executive sacked the NPF officials for entering into "flawed" lease deal with LRPDC.
Ocampo, in a full-page advertisement published Wednesday in at least two newspapers, insisted that the project was "perfectly legal" as NPF followed proper procedures for its deal with the casino investor.
The sacked NPF chair also claimed that individuals with "selfish and mopolistic business interests" merely deliberately and maliciously peddled lies "at the expense of innocent people."
Duterte, however, was not convinced by Ocampo's latest explanation.
"I was so pissed off that I was trying to fix Nayong Pilipino's anomaly and here comes a report that after that, [they are denying it]," he said.
"This I can say to you, many years from now or a few years from now or maybe a year after, if we cannot stop graft and corruption and cannot maintain law and order in this country, [the] Philippines will never reach the level of economic progress enjoyed by Malaysia and Indonesia (at) the present level. It will take us about 10 years to 15 years to catch up, or maybe more," he said. (VoxPop Philippines)
