PCGG loses bid to seize P97-M assets of alleged Marcos crony

The government has lost its bid to seize some P96.93 million alleged ill-gotten wealth of former Masbate Rep. Luz Reyes-Bakunawa and her family after the Sandiganbayan First Division junked a 20-year-old lawsuit filed by the Presidential Commission on Good Government for lack of evidence. In its 13-page resolution revealed last November 8, the graft court held that PCGG lawyers failed to establish its allegation that a “close link" exists between Bakunawa and the Marcos family. This despite evidence presented during trial that Bakunawa was among the first few appointees of the late former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, when she was named assistant social secretary on Jan. 1, 1966 - two days into the Marcos presidency. Government lawyers also claimed Bakunawa served as personal secretary to former First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos. In Civil Case No. 0023, she was named defendant along with her husband Manuel Bakunawa Jr. and son Manuel Bakunawa III. They were accused of amassing ill-gotten wealth by taking advantage of their close relationship with the Marcos family. Among the Bakunawa family’s assets placed under the PCGG forfeiture bid were 7-R Development Corp, 7-R Heavy Equipment Co Inc, 7-R Ranch, 7-R Sales Co, Hi-Tri Development Corp, 7-R International and 7-R Enterprises Inc. Based on government evidence, Hi-Tri Development Corp and 7-R Development Corp bagged 62 public works contracts during the Marcos administration, most of which were negotiated deals that did not undergo any public bidding. Documents also showed that Hi-Tri was incorporated only on July 10, 1974 but it was already awarded a road construction deal in April 1974. PCGG also presented documents showing that within five years beginning 1968, the Bakunawas expanded their pastureland leasehold from 140 hectares to 1,173 hectares due to numerous grants by the Marcos government. Still, the Sandiganbayan declared that the PCGG failed to make a convincing case enough to overturn the court’s Decision dated April 10, 2002 dismissing the lawsuit. “The Court stands by the finding in the assailed Decision that the plaintiff’s evidence is not sufficient to prove the ill-gotten character of the [pieces of property] acknowledged by the Bakunawas to be theirs, as well as the ‘close links’ of the defendants Bakunawas to the defendants Marcoses. This is fatal to the case," the court noted. Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta penned the resolution. Associate Justice Efren de la Cruz and Presiding Justice and division chairperson Teresita Leonardo-de Castro concurred. The court said the documents showing 62 negotiated infrastructure contracts cornered by Hi-Tri did not show anything anomalous. “Negotiated contracts… are not per se irregular transactions. Since the alleged irregularity of the contracts and alleged prejudice caused to the government people and the Filipino people are not evident on the face of the documents themselves, other evidence should have been presented to prove such irregularity that may have tainted the transactions," it noted. - GMANews.TV