DOJ to probe Alvarez claim vs Davao banana farm

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II has assured House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez that the Department of Justice (DOJ) would investigate the alleged irregularities regarding the lease of penal lands by a company owned by the family of Davao del Norte Rep. Antonio “Tonyboy” Floirendo.

In a letter, Aguirre informed Alvarez that he has formed a fact-finding committee to review the joint venture agreement (JVA) between the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and Tagum Agricultural Development Corp. (Tadeco) for the use of the Davao Penal and Prison Farm.

The Speaker had earlier urged the justice secretary to rescind the 25-year lease contract for being illegal as he accused Floirendo, President Duterte’s top campaign donor, of violating the antigraft law for benefiting from the deal.

“Considering the legal implications of your request, as well as the accompanying repercussions of the termination of the said JVA, the (DOJ) has created a committee to conduct an immediate investigation on the matter,” Aguirre said in his April 4 letter, a copy of which was obtained by the media Wednesday.

“Rest assured that the (DOJ) is committed in ensuring that all subsequent agreements to be entered into by the government shall comply with all the requirements set forth by the Constitution and by the laws,” he said.

The justice secretary said the investigation would be “transparent” and that its results would be immediately transmitted to Alvarez.

He said the panel has been tasked to recommend the necessary legal actions to address the concerns raised by Alvarez, who had described the agreement as “grossly disadvantageous” to the government.

The committee would “focus on the alleged illegality of the agreement and the consequent disadvantages it brought to the government,” Aguirre said.

In a letter to Aguirre last week, the Speaker questioned the authority of BuCor to enter into a multimillion-peso deal with Tadeco, which had converted the vast tracts of prison land in Davao del Norte province into a lucrative banana plantation.

Alvarez claimed that such arrangement should have been granted by BuCor, an attached agency of the DOJ, to a private firm only after conducting a public bidding as mandated by law.