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THE MALICIOUS HAND REACHES FONTANA Privilege Speech of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, March 15, 2006  Posted: August 6th, 2008 @ 1:00am From the time that I assumed and discharged my duties as senator of the Republic, I have taken it upon myself to expose, for the people to know and to judge, the anomalous transactions that have plagued this administration. Twice has this Representation condemned the blatant disregard of PAGCOR in not only one but in two instances. Yet it is sad to note that this administration has instead turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the issue in spite of the preponderance of documents that unmistakably indicate grievous culpability. This has now become the trademark of the illegitimate Arroyo regime. Although utterly dismayed but never discouraged in the light of this growing list of anomalies, I once again rise to condemn another anomalous transaction that is gravely disadvantageous to the people. Hindi na nga iniimbistigahan ni Ginang Arroyo ang mga anomalya, mayroon na namang isa. This illegitimate administration has made it its hallmark of being the administration of shady deals and anomalous transactions. The latest to this growing list of irregular transactions is the one with a certain person named Jack Lam, also known abroad as Lam Yin Lok, that reports say is a Chinese national from Macau. It has been whispered in dark corridors and secret meeting places that Jack Lam is an alleged associate of a certain Stanley Ho, the reputed kingpin of the gambling empire in Macau. A falling out, however, ensued when these two renowned persons allegedly had a disagreement over money. Reportedly faced with a competition he can never beat in Macau, Jack Lam set his sights on this country – a gleaming aggrupation of islands in the Pacific for gambling operations. Jack Lam eventually wormed his businesses into the Philippine financial and commercial firmament, for a while ingratiating himself with known personalities in society. This Representation has recently been informed that the very same Jack Lam, through dummy corporations, managed to gain control of the government-owned Fort Ilocandia located in Laoag, where he commenced operations of a casino catering to the rich and famous not only from the Philippines but also from nearby Hong Kong and Taiwan. To comply with the requirements of law and to avoid undue scrutiny, Jack Lam established two dummy corporations – the Ilocandia Holdings, Inc. and the Intellectual Group, Ltd. – to serve as majority shareholders of Fort Ilocandia Property Holdings and Development Corporation which owns Fort Ilocandia. Interestingly enough, Jack Lam or Lam Yin Lok appears in the general information sheet of the Fort Ilocandia Property Holdings and Development Corporation as a director with a nominal share worth one peso. With this alleged takeover, choice and hard-to-get contracts to operate a casino from PAGCOR simply came in for Jack Lam which included VIP rooms at the Heritage Hotel in Pasay City and at the Waterfront Airport Hotel and Casino in Cebu. These operations, in my own humble opinion, are all disadvantageous to the government because they needlessly compete with the operations of PAGCOR, unduly cutting its revenues. Jack Lam then established the Philippine Travel and Amusement Management Co. Ltd. to facilitate the junket travels of high rollers from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan to his casinos in Ilocos Norte, Pasay City and Cebu. This operation is reportedly complemented by another company, the Philippine World Sports Promotion, Inc., aside from serving as an alleged front for money laundering. Hindi ko lamang po maiwasang magtanong – bakit yata napakalakas nitong Jack Lam sa ating hansa at tila binigay na sa kanya ang lahat ng biyaya? Siguradong may mga kakampi siyang mga Filipino upang makapagnegosyo ng ganito dito. Who his Filipino partners are in these ventures, your guess is as good as mine. I do not believe we have fully resolved the issue if PAGCOR can legally establish joint ventures with private investors and partners to extend its franchise in the operation of casinos in the Philippines and yet we see another of PAGCOR’s shameless hand in another irregularity. With his new-found partnership with PAGCOR’s Chairman, Efraim Genuino, Jack Lam managed to get close to the First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, a.k.a. Jose Pidal. This can be inferred when Mrs. Gloria Arroyo herself found time to visit Fort Ilocandia as a guest of honor of Jack Lam, as a picture hanging in the hotel’s lobby will show. I hope they will not remove it after my privilege speech. During the last Pacquiao-Morales fight in Las Vegas, Jack Lam was reportedly caught on video uncorking a bottle of champagne in the company of the First Gentleman with a coterie of politicians who made a junket trip to this desert paradise to watch the fight. I am now trying to confirm allegations from reliable sources that Jack Lam spent for the plane fares and hotel accommodations of not only the First Gentleman but of other politicians in his entourage. Kaya maaaring tama ang sinabi ng isang opisyal sa interview na nandoon sa Las Vegas noon. Hindi raw pera ng gobyerno ang ginamit nila roon. Pero. pera ba ni Jack Lam at ano ba ho ang kapalit nito? I am also trying to confirm a report published after the first Pacquiao-Morales fight that it was this same person who paid for the controversial US$20,000 a night suite at the MGM Grand used by the First Gentleman during the first Pacquiao-Morales fight last year. Ano ang kapalit nito? Through Mike Arroyo, Jack Lam was able to bag his crown jewel – the Fontana Leisure Parks in Pampanga. For the record, the Fontana Leisure Parks operates a casino that reportedly amasses a monthly gross income of P600 million from 50 baccarat tables and over a hundred slot machines. The purchase of controlling shares of stocks by Jack Lam of Fontana was made possible through the sale by another individual of ill-repute, the alleged smuggling lord, Lucio Co, of his interests in Fontana, which roughly constitutes 90%. We are not certain if Lucio Co really owned these shares. Documents from the SEC seem to suggest that the 90% controlling ownership of Fontana belonged to dummy corporations. This begs the question – did Lucio Co pay the proper taxes when he sold his 90% of Fontana to a corporation believed to be owned, if not controlled, by Jack Lam? There are reports that former BIR Commissioner Parayno made an effort to check on Lucio Co for possible tax evasion. This was, however and not surprisingly, blocked by very influential persons in the higher echelons of this illegitimate regime. A BIR source revealed that Lucio Co allegedly owned at least 11 bank accounts with total deposits amounting to a mind-boggling P4 billion. I was informed that in spite of a battery of smuggling charges against Lucio Co, not even the National Intelligence and Coordinating Agency or NICA, has a file on Lucio Co because this was allegedly ordered pulled out in 2004. But back to Mr. Jack Lam. In the sale of Fontana, Jack Lam, using the same method he did in acquiring Fort Ilocandia, reportedly used dummy corporations, the way he also allegedly did in Macau and Hong Kong to facilitate casino operations and other money laundering activities. Through his alleged corporation, the Clark International Recreation Holdings Corporation and the Clark Resort Co. Ltd., was consummated in December 2004 but, surprisingly again, was never made public. These companies, which are believed to belong to Jack Lam, are now apparently the majority owners of Fontana, controlling at least 90% of the shares. It is interesting to note that the Clark International Recreation Holdings Corporation was registered with the SEC only last September 29, 2004, obviously in time for the sale of Fontana three months later. It may also interest you and all of us that Jack Lam had reportedly brought around 100 Chinese nationals to the Philippines for employment at Fontana without the necessary working permits. I wonder whether the BID is aware of this. At this moment in time, my office, despite the stonewalling of certain government offices, is trying to verify this. This Representation is also amazed that while Congress had already instituted into our country's statute books the AMLA, no prominent money-laundering case has been prosecuted or, for that matter, any conviction made. Is it because the biggest money-launderer in this country is found in Malacañang using dummies and fronts that can no longer be hidden nor denied? Look around you. This is now the gambling empire that Mr. Genuino has apparently built for his patron, Mike Arroyo, and which now brings in tons of money, not to the government, but to very, very powerful personalities in this administration and their private partners. This is the gambling republic that is still in progress and which condemns millions of our people to a life of poverty and penury while a few favored individuals, foreigners at that, enjoy the bounty of the land. I now stand before you and appeal to this Chamber and to the people that in the light of recent political events, these anomalous transactions brokered by this illegitimate administration have to be stopped. We must make a stand, not only for the Senate, but also for the country and bring a decisive end to the fraudulent acts of a pretender to power. Before I end, I very much welcome the libel charges that were filed against this Representation because it will afford me the opportunity to refute the allegations against me and prove that the said complaint is a mere political harassment to gag me from further exposing anomalies committed under this illegitimate administration. And I heard this morning, through his lawyer, Atty. Melanie Trinidad, that they are planning to cancel my bail before the Sandiganbayan. Masyado nang garapal yan. |
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Copyright © 2008 Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada
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