By Nitz Arancon
NEW Wishing Star Trading Corp. president Jacky Ching has identified Councilor Adrian Barba as the owner of controversial China Bank Current Account no. 2610679913 in a sworn statement.
CONTROVERSY. Carmen market as seen during a hot summer day. (photo by Edgar Dichos)
Ching also named Mayor Vicente Emano in the one-page affidavit as the official who allegedly instructed that funds be deposited in exchange for the approval of the Carmen market lease contract in 2011.
The Chinese-Filipino businessman executed the affidavit on Monday, the same day councilors Ramon Tabor and President Elipe challenged Ching and former Taglimao barangay chairperson William Guialani to identify the councilor who allegedly served as the “messenger” and “collector” as well as the other officials who were supposedly involved.
Ching has just furnished this paper an original copy of the affidavit.
In earlier reports, Guialani said the “messenger” referred to by Ching was good at singing and mimicking the famous singer Tom Jones, a talent the official displayed when he (Guialani) allegedly treated the councilor in Manila.
Guialani also claimed to have spent his personal funds for junkets and in giving officials “pocket money” just to make sure that New Wishing Star would bag the 2011 lease contract.
In an April 15 affidavit notarized by lawyer Mario Juni, Ching said he met with Mayor Emano about his application to lease the second level of Carmen market. He said Emano introduced him to Barba and instructed him to coordinate with the councilor for the preparation of the contract of lease.
Ching said Barba subsequently called him up and informed him that Emano gave an instruction for him to “deposit a certain amount to insure approval of the contract of lease.”
Councilor Barba
Ching added: “I was told to deposit in the bank account of Atty. Adrian Barba with China Banking Corporation under Current Account no. 2610679913…”
He said he had “no choice but to comply with the instruction and deposited the money in the China Bank branch in Caloocan City to the said China Bank account of Atty. Adrian Barba…”
Guialani, for his part, claimed the personal funds he spent were his “investment” in the Carmen market venture of New Wishing Star.
Guialani sent Mayor Emano a letter a few weeks back to demand a P4.5-million refund of his “investment.”
In the letter, Guialani cursed Emano––he stated that he was severing his 15-year close association with the local chief executive with a wish that the reelectionist mayor would lose at least 15 thousand votes in the city’s 1st District. Guialani also stated that he wished that the ghost of his dead wife would haunt Emano.
City hall trashed its 2011 contract with Ching’s company last year due to alleged violations and awarded a fresh lease contract to Unitop, a move questioned by New Wishing Star. Ching has filed cases against local officials in connection with the termination of his contract.
Guialani also told a Manila-based radio station that he had been promised a refund once another company, Unitop, has replaced New Wishing Star as Carmen market lessee. Copies of that radio interview are now spreading in the city.
In earlier interviews, Ching and Guialani alleged to have spent some P10 million for their 2011 lobby that included giving “SOPs” to some officials. The amount, according to Ching, excludes his actual investment on Carmen market.
This paper tried to get Barba’s comment but failed. This paper was given the runaround.
This writer went to Barba’s house and was told by his wife that he was meeting with Patag barangay chairperson Benedicto Fabricante. Barba however was not in the barangay hall where Fabricante was meeting with representatives of the social welfare department. This writer went to Barba’s law office and then back to his house at Apovel where the councilor was allegedly asleep. This writer waited from noontime to 3 pm but the councilor was still “asleep.”