MALACAÑANG on Wednesday, August 29, slammed the dismissed Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF) board for "openly defying" President Rodrigo Duterte by placing a paid newspaper advertisement maintaining the legality of the 70-year lease contract with a Chinese casino investor.
In a full-page newspaper advertisement published Wednesday, the sacked NPF board, through former NPF chair Patricia Ocampo, defended their controversial $1.5-billion project with Landing Resorts Philippines Development Corp. (LRPDC) at the Entertainment City in Parañaque.
Ocampo insisted that the project was "perfectly legal" as NPF complied with the proper procedures.
She also accused critics with "selfish and mopolistic business interests" of deliberately and maliciously peddling lies "at the expense of innocent people."
"Despite the fact that ALL procedural and legal requirements were strictly followed by the NPF Board in getting the profect off the ground, opponents and critics of the project had shamelessly foisted lies about the project, and false and maliciously accused the NPF, its trustees, and its officials of graft and corruption in approving the deal with LRPDC," she said.
"We were not given our day in court. We became targets of a vicious smear campaign solely aimed at derailing the Nayon Landing project, ostensibly over charges of corruption. This is a blatant lie," she added.
Duterte on August 6 fired the NPF's entire board and management for the "ridiculous" lease contract with LRPDC, which was "grossly disadvantageous to the government."
In a radio interview, Roque said Duterte had already turned down the "flawed project" but the NPF board disregarded the President's opposition to it.
"Nabasa ko po ['yung advertisement] at medyo nababahala ako. Parang ito po ay talagang pag-suway doon sa naging desisyon na ng Presidente," Roque said.
(I read [the advertisement] and I'm quite disturbed. This seems to be an apparenty defiance of the President's decision.)
"Itong liham po na isinapubliko at ipinablish pa, hindi sa isa kung hindi sa dalawang pahayagan, ito po ay open defiance na doon sa naging desisyon na ng Presidente. Mag-hintay muna po silang maging Presidente, bago sila gagawa ng ganitong mga desisyon," he added.
(The letter that was made public and published not only in one but two newspapers is an open defiance of the Presdent's decision. They should wait to become president before they make such decision.)
Roque also blamed the NPF officials for their failure to follow Duterte's policy against new casino projects.
He stressed that the NPF board clearly violated the President's order that there would be no more new casinos allowed to operate in the country.
"At the end of the day, all public officials, including those who are in government-owned and controlled corporations, serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority, who happens to be the President," the Palace official said in a statement.
"For now, let us respect the decision of the President. [Duterte's] stance remains: He does not want a new casino... Since the President has already spoken, no NPF trustee or official can insist that he or she should continue holding office," he added.
But if the NPF trustees and officials would insist on their innocence, Roque encouraged them to state their arguments on any investigation about the supposedly lease contract with LRPDC.
"If the Nayong Pilipino Foundation trustees and officials believe that they were unfairly accused of graft and corruption, then they should focus their energies on any investigation of the charges," Roque said. (VoxPop Philippines)
