P5-B bentahan ng IBC-13 ‘midnight deal’ ng Duterte admin

ni ROSE NOVENARIO

MAHIGIT dalawang buwan bago matapos ang termino ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte, ikinakasa ng Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) ang pagbebenta ng sequestered at state-run Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC-13) sa halagang P5 bilyon.

Sa ginanap na press briefing sa Palasyo kahapon, itinanggi ni acting Presidential Spokesman at PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar na isang ‘midnight deal’ ang pagbebenta sa IBC-13 sa pagtatapos ng administrasyong Duterte.

“There is no midnight deal here. It is a mandate of the Duterte administration to rehab the government TV station, since day one. And the first time in the history since 1986 to privatize the television network,” aniya.

Binigyan diin ni Andanar, wala pang bidding schedule na itinakda ang binuong Technical Working Group (TWG).

“No bidding schedule for this matter as of press time. TWG or the technical working group is still working on it. This answer is particularly from the chairman, Hexilon Alvarez of IBC-13,” dagdag niya.

Taliwas sa pahayag ni Alvarez na binasa ni Andanar, nakakuha ng kopya ang HATAW ng binalangkas na draft na may titulong “Guidelines for the Sealed Public Bidding of the Republic of the Philippines (“RP”) rights, interest and participation over the Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (“IBC’), ang pre-bid conference ay magaganap sa 3 Mayo 2022 na pangangasiwaan ng TWG, pinamumunuan ni Atty. Glenn Albert M. Ocampo bilang chairman.

Si Ocampo ay may ranggong Director V, Director for Operations, Good Governance, and Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) sa PCOO habang si George Apacible ang Undersecretary for Operations, Good Governance, and GOCCs ng kagawaran.

Ayon sa draft guidelines, ang floor price para sa privatization ng IBC ay iaanunsiyo sa darating na Lunes, 25 Abril 2022 habang lahat ng bids ay bubuksan ng TWG sa IBC Conference Room sa 10 Mayo 2022 sa harap ng mga kinatawan ng Commission on Audit (COA).

Papayagan dumalo ang bidders o kanilang awtorisadong kinatawan at observers para saksihan ito nang personal o virtual.

Sa nakaambang bentahan ng IBC-13, hindi malinaw kung ang ano ang magiging kapalaran ng pinasok na joint venture agreement ng IBC-13 sa pribadong property developer na R-II Builders Inc./ Primestate Venture Inc., na inamyendahan bago nagwakas ang administrasyon ni dating Pangulong Benigno Aquino III noong 2016.

Ang naturang ‘midnight deal’ ay nagresulta sa pagkawala ng 41,401 square meters lupaing pagmamay-ari ng IBC-13 sa Broadcast City sa Capitol Hills, Diliman, Quezon City.

Nabatid sa 2016 COA annual report noong 18 Mayo 2016, may mga amyemdang ginawa sa joint venture agreement (JVA) na pinasok ng IBC-13 sa R-II Builders / Primestate Ventures, Inc., noong 24 Marso 2010.

Ayon sa COA observation report, ang mga amyenda sa JVA ay walang bisa “null and void” dahil hindi aprobado ng National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Board Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) at hindi nilagdaan ng kaukulang approving authority alinsunod sa Sections 7.2b at 7.2c ng Revised Guidelines and Procedures for Entering into JVAs between Government and Private Entities.

“The Amendment to the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) dated March 24, 2010 entered into by and between IBC-13 and a private property developer on May 18, 2016 submitted to the COA Audit Team  was not approved by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Board Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) and was not signed by appropriate approving authority which is not in accordance with Sections 7.2b and 7.2c of the Revised Guidelines and Procedures for Entering into JVAs between Government and Private Entities, which render the amendment null and void,” ayon sa 2016 COA report.

Ang orihinal na probisyon ng JVA, i-develop ng R-II Builders-Primestate Ventures, Inc., ang 36,401 square meters mula sa 41,401 sqm na pag-aari ng IBC-13 sa Broadcast City ay ilalaan para sa  proyektong residential complex na LaRossa at ang natitirang 5,000 sqm ay tatayuan umano ng dalawang building para sa state-run network.

Ngunit sa amended JVA , matapos ang siyam na taonh pagbabayad ng P728-M ng R-II Builders/Primestate Ventures sa sistemang instalment o hulugan sa IBC-13 ay itinuring itong kabayaran para sa 36,301 square meters na lupain imbes “sharing of net revenues in a Residential development.”

Napag-alaman sa 2017 annual report ng COA, ang mga amyenda sa JVA ay ikinasa at inaprobahan ng dalawang partido, ang R-II Builders/Primestate Ventures at ang noo’y IBC-13 president at CEO Manolito O. Cruz na awtorisado ng Board of Directors ng state-run network.

Napag-alaman, walang ginawang aksiyon ang management ng IBC-13 at maging si Apacible bilang Undersecretary for Operations, Good Governance and GOCCs para ituwid ang nakitang pagkakamali ng COA sa amended JVA mula noong 2016.

Sa katunayan, noong 30 Enero 2018 ay natanggap ng opisina ni Apacible ang liham ni Cruz hinggil sa implementasyon ng inamyendahang JVA kasama ang “new revenue remittance schedule, as well as final plans for the broadcasting center to be built on IBC-13’s 5,000 square meters property.”

Batay sa 2017 at 2018 COA report, nalugi ang IBC-13 sa naturang transaksiyon dahil kung ang talagang intensiyon nito’y ibenta ang ari-ariang lupain, dapat ay cash basis at kung hulugan, dapat ay may ipinataw na interes sa halagang idineklara.

“IBC-13 was at a disadvantage for the reason that with the intention to sell the property, the payment should have been made outright or at the very least interest should have accrued on the deferred payments.”

Anang COA, ang naturang transaksiyon na itinuturing na pagbebenta ng ari-arian ng gobyerno, ay paglabag sa Section 79 ng PD No. 1445 at Sections 2 at 3 ng EO No. 888, o “authority to dispose unserviceable equipment and disposable property.”

Sabi ng COA, ang bentahan ay hindi dumaan sa bidding, kaya’t maaaring hindi natanggap ng gobyerno ang tamang bayad base sa tunay na halaga ng lupain ng IBC-13 na napunta sa R-II Builders/ Primestate Ventures.

Ang R-II Builders ay pagmamay-ari ng negosyanteng si Reghis Romero.

“The current leadership of the Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation has engaged an independent team to look into any irregularities of the RII Builders’ agreement.  As of date, the IBC is still negotiating with R-II to upgrade badly needed facilities that should have been complied with. We are confident that before the President’s term ends, R-II would have complied,” pahayag ni Andanar kaugnay sa COA report hinggil sa JVA.

Kapag naibenta ang IBC-13 na hindi napananagot ang mga nasa likod ng inamyendahang JVA, parang tumama sa lotto ang R-II Builders, kumita na sa condo, nagkaroon pa ng prime property mula sa gobyerno.

“The deal is so fishy. The real estate developer in this multimillion-peso transaction reportedly has a measly subscribed capital of P2 million, with only P500,000 paid up. The government negotiators did not bother to get the assent of the National Economic and Development Authority, the Presidential Commission on Good Government, and the Privatization Management Office,” ayon kay Jarius Bondoc sa kanyang pitak na Gotcha sa Philippine Star noong 17 Marso 2010.