[ manilastandardtoday.com ] April 29, 2010
Amerasia International Services Inc. on Tuesday filed a criminal complaint at the Ombudsman against officials of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and Harbour Centre Port Terminal Inc. for sealing an irregular deal that will lead to a monopoly in the Subic ports.
Amerasia, a cargo handling operator at subic, said the contract was awarded to Harbour Centre as the project proponent. None of the other Subic locators submitted a counterproposal as they found the condition for such participation totally unfair.
In Amerasia’s complaint-affidavit signed by its president and chairman, Mario Lorenzo A. Yapjoco and George G. Schulze, Jr., respectively, SBMA and HCPTI officials were accused of “perpetrating, in conspiracy with each other” the crime defined in the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act as well as the crime defined in Article 186 of the Revised Penal Code” on monopolies and restraint of trade.
Co-accused are SBMA Administrator and CEO-chairman Armand C. Arreza, which recommended the approval of the Harbour Centre proposal. A second group of respondents comprise the SBMA board of directors headed by its chairman, Commodore Feliciano G. Salonga, which first approved in principle the HCPTI proposal and HCPTI officers, namely, Reghis M. Romero II, chairman; and Michael L. Romero, CEO.
The complaint contains factual evidence, which Ventura said, “established SBMA’s manifest partiality, evident bad faith, and gross negligence in approving the contract.”
Amerasia legal counsel Eulalio Ventura said, “ The SBMA-HCPTI contract effectively nullified, without due process, Amerasia’s valid and outstanding 25 years Lease and cargo handling operations contract with SBMA.”
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