Fontana to CDC: We don’t own raided villas

FOLLOW-UP OPERATION The entrance to Fontana Development Corp. and Fontana Resort and Country Club at Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga. Photo taken on Friday. —Jun A. Malig

CLARK FREEPORT, Philippines — Fontana Development Corp. (FDC) has responded to Clark Development Corp.’s (CDC) threat to cancel its lease agreement following the June 27 raid of five villas inside the 200-hectare Fontana Hot Spring Leisure Parks here for alleged human trafficking.

While the CDC has not disclosed the content of the FDC’s reply, a source in the state-owned corporation told the Inquirer on Tuesday that the response contained an explanation “basically the same with its (Fontana) statement on Facebook.”

The source was referring to FDC’s June 28 statement, saying it does not own three of the five villas that authorities raided on June 27.

READ: 3 Chinese linked to Porac Pogo found hiding in Fontana villa

In a statement posted by FDC on the Facebook page of Fontana Hot Spring Leisure Parks (formerly known as Fontana Leisure Parks), it said the villas numbered 713, 716, 742 and 743 “were already sold by Fontana to the owners” some 10 years ago.

“Said villas have been turned over to their corresponding owners as of 2014, and, as such, are not in the possession and/or supervision of Fontana,” it said.

Because those villas were already turned over to their owners, “Fontana has no authority over the same and cannot just enter any of the villas without permission from the owners,” it added.

It did not mention the names of the individuals who bought the villas.

Consolidated lease agreement

On June 28, CDC president Agnes Devanadera wrote to FDC and Fontana Resort and Country Club Inc. president Simon Wu, asking him to explain within 24 hours why a raid took place within the estate for alleged human trafficking.

Devanadera directed Wu to explain why its consolidated lease agreement with the state-owned firm and its certificate of registration and tax exemption should not be revoked or terminated in light of the serving of a court-issued search warrant on the five villas.

“Failure to comply with these orders shall result in a severe penalty,” she said.

While FDC had already replied to the CDC, the latter had yet to announce any action or its next move.

In its statement, FDC did not mention two of the raided villas (Nos. 633 and 767) as sold to or now owned by other people or entities.

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), along with the police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and Special Action Force, and the CDC public safety department, served the search warrant on Villa Nos. 633, 713, 716, 742 and 767 on the night of June 27.

Of these five residential units, FDC said only Villa Nos. 713, 716 and 742 were “sold to the owners.”

The CIDG reported that no trafficked persons were found in Villa Nos. 633, 742 and 767.

In the search warrant for human trafficking issued by Judge Hermenegildo Dumlao II of the Malolos (Bulacan) Regional Trial Court Branch 81, he particularly ordered law enforcers to “seize and take possession of the gray vault items in Villa No. 716.”

PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said the vault was already secured and would be presented to the court.

Pogo bosses

The warrant also stated that Lyu Fong (alias Bao, or Boga) and Da Wei (alias David), said to be the “bosses” of a raided Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) in Bamban, Tarlac, could be inside the five villas. They were not there.

A day after the raid, Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco issued a mission order to look for illegal aliens in one of the raided villas in coordination with PAOCC, CDC and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Three Chinese identified as Huang Shuzhen, 23; Chen Qianfang, 46; and Huang Zaicheng, 54, were arrested after they failed to produce necessary documents.

Casio said the three had a direct link with Bamban Pogo “big boss” Huang Ziyang. Chen, he said, is suspected of being a Pogo manager, while the two others are Huang Ziyang’s personal staff.