Execs resign from Tiu-owned firm dragged in Binay probe   

Top executives of AgriNurture, Incorporated (ANI), the agricultural company owned by controversial businessman Antonio Tiu, have resigned from the firm effective this month. 

 

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), ANI said its directors James Sayre, Tai Chuan Lin, and Edmund Zheng resigned from their posts "to pursue other business pursuits" effective May 26.

 

President and chief executive officer Pablo Capati, Jr., and treasurer and chief financial officer Romeo Bato also submitted their resignations "to focus on other professional and personal commitments." Their resignation is effective May 31. 

 

Tiu, the founder of ANI, was dragged into the corruption allegations against Vice President Jejomar Binay being investigated by the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee. 

 

Tiu is the CEO of listed Greenergy Holdings Inc. which owns Sunchamp Real Estate Development Corp.

Tiu claims Sunchamp operates the agri-tourism park in Rosario, Batangas being linked to Vice President Binay. 

 

Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado, Binay's former close ally, earlier accused Tiu of being the Vice President's dummy to conceal the latter's ownership of the 350-hectare estate estimated to be worth P1.2 billion. 

 

ANI was initially involved in the trade of post-harvest agricultural machineries, but later diversified into various agro-commercial businesses including the export of fruits and vegetables to China, Japan and Korea, as well as to the Middle East, North America, Europe and Australia.

 

ANI’s family of brands now includes FCA (Fresh Choice Always) for fresh and processed wellness food products; La Natural for coconut juice and Nikka for mango nectar and tamarind juices, which are exported to other countries; Sungrown rice; Superfresh and Big Chill for fresh fruit beverages and dessert kiosks; Canecoctions for sugar cane juice; and Cafeteria Verde, Fresh Bar by Big Chill, and C’Verde by Big Chill.

 

Some of the popular food brands in the ANI group are the bakeshops Sugarhouse and Cheesecake, Etc. It also entered into a master license agreement with Tully’s Coffee International PTE LTD to operate the Seattle-based Tully’s coffee shop in the Philippines. - KATHRINA CHARMAINE ALVAREZ/JJ, GMA News