NBI official: Money for Vizcaya bishop was donation, not bribe

BAYOMBONG, Philipines – A National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) official has said the money he gave to Nueva Vizcaya Bishop Ramon Villena during his birthday was not a bribe but a donation to the church. Finally breaking his silence on Friday, lawyer Constantino Joson, NBI regional director for the Cagayan Valley, denied acting as an emissary of the Meridian Vista Gaming Corp. (MVGC), an online gaming firm which is under fire for trying to promote gambling activities in Nueva Vizcaya. Bishop Villena earlier identified Joson as one of those who tried to bribe him to soften his stand against gambling operations in the province. The bishop also said he got another cash gift from former national gambling czar Charlie “Atong" Ang during his birthday last March, which President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo attended in Bayombong. “Meridien has legal papers and that there was nothing that its (MVGC) people wanted from the bishop," Joson said, adding that Villena merely returned the money intended as a church donation through him since the bishop didn’t know who the donor was. Ang has admitted being a consultant with MVGC, but also denied giving any gift to Villena. He said he doesn’t even know the bishop. Villena, who denounced “all forms" of gambling in his statement, said that he immediately returned the envelope stacked with cash to Joson when the NBI official handed it to him. He said he intended to return the envelope supposedly coming from Ang but didn’t know where Ang’s whereabouts. Joson said he believed that Villena’s statements may have been done in haste to dispel insinuations that he was receiving payoffs to soften his stand against illegal gambling. “I do not hate the bishop. I understand he was hurt about the allegations of a columnist who accused him of tolerating jueteng in Vizcaya, but he still has my full respect. He may have been mistaken about the intention of the money given to him," Joson said. Joson vouched for the legality of MVGCs operations, saying since it had the necessary legal papers from the Securities and Exchange Commission and a franchise from the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA). But the Church and moral groups in the province reiterated that while MVGC is legitimate business entity, its operations in V izcaya are definitely illegal. Critics said MVGC’s papers only allowed the firm to conduct online virtual gaming, not jueteng-like operations where bet collectors are seen going their usual rounds to collect bets, instead of bettors going to betting stations. 2nd raid On Friday, MVGC workers said they were considering quitting their trade after operatives of the national police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) raided their office for the second time. “We might as well look for another job," said one of the MVCG, who was arrested by the police after the firm resumed its operations this week. Armed with an arrest order, the CIDG operatives from Camp Crame in Manila and its provincial unit have arrested 53 persons at the gaming firm’s offices in Solano and capital town Bayombong. MCGV lawyer Rolando Taganas told GMANews.TV that Friday’s raid, like the one last August 19, is again irregular. “We are still armed with a 60-day temporary restraining order (TRO). We are supposed to conduct our business without hassles," he said. “If things like these continue to happen, there’s a big possibility that MVGC lawyers in Manila might file charges against CIDG," he added. Last July, lawyer Raymond Fortun has sent a letter to the Vizcaya provincial board clarifying that his client is a legal entity. Former jueteng workers,/b> A CIDG operative, who asked not to be named, said, “the absence of official receipts or tickets from MVGCs offices proves that their operations are not in conjunction with the law." “There’s also no business permit, no company IDs, not even a signboard, how can that be legal?" he said, adding that if the provincial prosecutor did not find any probable cause for the arrests, then he should not have set bails. Some arrested MVGC personnel who are now under the custody of Vizcaya police revealed to GMANews.TV that after the successive raids, they are now reflecting on going back to their respective provinces and look for other jobs. “Magulo ang buhay namin dito, uuwi na lang kami sa amin at maghanap ng ibang trabaho," said one who gave his name only as “Mark." (Our life here is miserable. We better go back to our province and look for a different line of work.) The arrest sheet showed that most of MVGCs staff came from the provinces of Cavite, Batangas and Pampanga. When asked who recruited them to work for the on-line gaming firm in the province, their answer was that: “Wala na kaming kita sa jueteng sa probinsya namin kaya tinawag kami dito ng mga dati naming kasama kasi legal daw ang laro dito." (We are not earning anymore from jueteng in our place that’s why we came here by invitation from our former colleagues who told us that the game here is legal.) Some P50,000 in cash and various gambling paraphernalia have been recovered by the police from the betting stations. - GMANews.TV