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| Vol. XX No. 47 |
January 31, 2001 |
Virac, Catanduanes |
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The Catanduanes Tribune Rawis, Virac Catanduanes, Philippines - 5001 Tel. No.: (052) 811-1267 or 811-2640 Fax No.: (052) 811-1267 E-mail:
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Publisher-Editor Edwin A. Gianan |
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Advertising- Circulation Manager Simeon G. Cueno |
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Web Master: Calgary, Canada |
Headline News
Rep.
Verceles says NBI bribe try never happened
Rep. Leandro B. Verceles, Jr. last Saturday flatly denied a Philippine Daily Inquirer report alleging that he tried to bribe the National Bureau of Investigation to stop probers from linking him to P1.2-billion `ghost' infrastructure projects in the province.
Speaking during the release of checks for the National Housing Authority's Lingap Para sa Mahihirap Program at his San Isidro Village residence last Jan. 27, the solon claimed the allegations were hatched by Governor Hector S. Sanchez whom he said is already liable for slander by deed for maliciously distributing copies of the controversial article.
Claiming that PDI reporter Michael Lim Ubac is from Caramoran, Verceles said there is "some sort of conspiracy here" as some members of the NBI task force also hail from Catanduanes. He said he is being persecuted in national newspapers, adding that the reports about the NBI bribe try is intended to divert attention from Sanchez's own anomalies.
He also distributed to mediamen and local officials xeroxed copies of an alleged press statement from the National Bureau of Investigation that it "officially denied any involvement of Catanduanes Congressman Leandro B. Verceles Jr." in the bribery attempt.
The statement claimed that "NBI Director Reynaldo Wycoco said that as per report of Special Task Force Chief Max Salvador no such event happened."
"This was also confirmed by STF Chief Max Salvador himself, who, contrary to articles that appeared in the newspapers, said that he was never approached by any emissary of Congressman Verceles delivering a bag of money coming from the congressman, and which money he refused and returned to this imaginary emissary, in exchange for putting an end to the probe," the half-page statement said.
Suspiciously, the alleged NBI statement did not sport the agency's official letterhead and only carried the handwritten names and signatures of Gen. Wycoco and Salvador, again stoking rumors that it was prepared by Verceles' office and brought to NBI headquarters for signing by the NBI officials. It was also noted that the statement was sloppily written and did not carry the initials of the NBI's press office.
In an earlier press statement, the solon also claimed that Salvador is a close friend of Gov. Sanchez and that the NBI official "should be asked if his task force is being used for investigative harassment to please the interest of his Governor friend.”
Verceles said that Salvador should be charged for dereliction of duty for not arresting the alleged Verceles emissary and the congressman himself for attempted bribery and for not confiscating the money. "This is a story full of holes and obviously fabricated," Verceles stressed. "The event never happened."
He described the alleged P1.2-B ghost infra scam as a statistical impossibility "as the province never had this much in terms of infra projects over the nine years I was congressman."
He informed that Sanchez men have been harassing local executives to sign affidavits "with the misinformation that projects funded by my congressional discretionary funds are ghost projects." The local officials, the congressman revealed, have already recanted their affidavits after finding out they were deceived. "They will soon file cases against the Governor and his men for fraud and illegal machinations," Verceles added.
