PNP: Extortion, bribery allegations over Hanjin shipyard project unsubstantiated

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday said investigators have yet to substantiate charges of extortion and bribery over a shipyard project in Misamis Oriental involving South Korean firm Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Corp. and local government officials. Director Jefferson Soriano, who heads the task force formed to probe the extortion/bribery allegations, said both Hanjin officials denied having made allegations that Misamis Oriental officials have extorted money from them over the construction of a $2-billion shipyard in the province. Also, Soriano said the Hanjin officials denied having offered bribes to local government officials. “I personally interviewed the president of Hanjin Philippines, Mr. Jeong Sup Shim and Hanjin Mindanao Managing Director Myung Goo Kwon and both of them denied having made allegations of extortion purportedly committed by either (Tagoloan) Mayor (Paulino) Emano, Mayor (Juliette) Uy (of Villanueva town) or any other local officials in the province," Santiago told reporters in a press briefing at Camp Crame. “They also denied having made bribery attempts to the said local officials," he added. Task Force TAGOVILL (Tagoloan and Villanueva towns) began investigating the allegation of bribery and the counter allegation of extortion on Friday on orders of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. In the press briefing, Soriano also said Emano denied earlier statements that Hanjin offered him a P400-million contract in exchange for a reversal of his order stopping the construction of a $2-billion shipyard which still hasn't secured the necessary permits. Soriano said that when Emano was interviewed by the task force's lead investigator, Senior Supt. Joel Coronel, the Tagoloan mayor denied saying he receive a bribe offer from Hanjin. “There was neither bribery on the part of Hanjin nor an extortion on my part and that of Mayor Uy," said Emano in an affdaivit he submitted to the Task Force. Emano explained that the P400 million allegedly being offered to him by Hanjin was actually a representation of the cost of a project to extract aggregates from the Tagalong riverbed that the project manager of the shipyard has been proposing to the Tagoloan local government. Emano added that he might have been misquoted or misunderstood in an interview with broadcast and print media. On the issue of stoppage order by Emano, Soriano said a check with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources revealed that Hanjin had already secured an Environmental Compliance Certificate on April 28 for the training center which is part of the $1.7 billion shipyard the firm was building in the province. The only investigation which is gaining progress, Soriano said, was on the case of assault on Hanjin employee identified as Arturo Baz that happened inside the Hanjin Training Center on April 26. Soriano identified the perpetrators as Armando Pomar, a municipal councilor of of Tagoloan town. Pomar, was allegedly the one who mauled Baz during a confrontation that stemmed from the the suspect’s serving of the stoppage order. Appropriate criminal charges are now being readied by Hanjin against the accused. But Soriano said the investigation on the alleged extortion and bribery is not yet over, saying they are yet to interview Mayor Uy and other personalities who may have direct information regarding the accusations. He, however, admitted that no prosecution will follow should the investigation on the investigation, which is expected to be completed this week, failed to get witnesses to corroborate any of the two allegations. - GMANews.TV