VACC: Death for plunderers

Chairman Dante Jimenez of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) supported
the stance of House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez that plunder should be punishable by death.

“Plunder should be meted with death penalty. Anti-death penalty groups claim that the death
penalty is anti-poor. Well, a lot of people are poor because of corruption. Corruption breeds
poverty. If VACC would have its way, we even want to reduce the threshold amount of plunder
to P10 million,” Jimenez told The Manila Times.

Alvarez on Monday said those convicted of plunder should be sentenced to death.

The Speaker berated former Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) officials and the
Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) during a congressional probe over the
alleged anomalous P234-million contract between Pagcor and Vanderwood Management Corp.

The P234 million was for Pagcor’s rental payment for Vanderwood’s facilities — a payment
made in advance even if the construction of Vanderwood’s facility is yet to be finished.

“What has been said in this inquiry strengthens the case we filed against Pagcor because the
House [of Representatives]has also expressed its intent to file a similar case. It is clear that
Pagcor’s contract with Vanderwood should have been voided a long time ago due to the notice of
disallowance issued by COA,” Jimenez said.

Alvarez said he will work to include plunder in the list of heinous crimes that should be meted
capital punishment.

“Definitely [plunder will be included in crimes punishable by death penalty]. As I have said, I
will insist that plunder should be included and we have more reasons to do this, just like this case
[on Pagcor and Vanderwood]. I can’t even imagine why this contract was allowed,” Alvarez said
after coming out of the House Committee on Good Government inquiry into the Pagcor-
Vanderwood deal.

The Speaker scolded Vanderwood for leasing property in Museo ng Maynila to Pagcor even if
the legitimate owner of the property is the Manila city government.

“No less than the COA [Commission on Audit] has disallowed this contract, which is really
highly disadvantageous to the government. Definitely, this is plunder because they wasted a lot
of government money,” Alvarez said.

“[Former Pagcor] Chairman [Cristino] Naguiat and the members of the board are liable,
including the OGCC because all government contracts are subject to the review of OGCC and
they said they allowed this contract in the first place,” he added, referring to former Government
Corporate Counsel Raoul Creencia.