HAGEDORN SALNs DID NOT DISCLOSE INTEREST IN JOLLIBEE STORE, CORPORATIONS

Toto Causing being interviewed by reporters upon filing of the complaint against Hagedorn.

PRESS STATEMENT

BERTENI “TOTO” CATALUÑA CAUSING

President, Hukuman ng Mamamayan Movement, Inc. (HMMI)

President, Alab ng Mamamahayag (ALAM)

HAGEDORN SALNs

DID NOT DISCLOSE

INTEREST IN JOLLIBEE

STORE, CORPORATIONS

In the name of the Constitution and the We, the People, as well as the law that has been blatantly violated, and the fact that nobody among those in the know was willing to do the necessary work for righteousness and justice, I, Berteni “Toto” Cataluña Causing, as president of Hukuman ng Mamamayan Movement (HMMI) and Alab ng Mamamahayag (ALAM), filed on 23 October 2013 a complaint against former Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Solon Hagedorn because I was prompted by certified documents showing this popular national figure liable, unless he proves his innocence by means of clear and convincing evidence to the contrary.

The gist of my complaint was that his failure to disclose in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) for the years 2004 up to 2012 his 59 real properties, he committed nine (9) counts of perjury, nine (9) counts of falsification, and nine (9) counts of violation of Section 7 in relation to Section 11 of Republic Act No. 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

In all fairness to Mr. Hagedorn, he responded through his press statements that all his real properties were stated in lump sum as Item No. 1 in the space for real properties, which he described in his SALN for 2012 as “Land with Improvement”, “agricultural/commercial”, as “inheritance” and acquired at the cost of P90 million.

Mr. Hagedorn further said that I erred in summarizing his real properties because he actually had sixty-one (61) real properties including in that Item No. 1.

In response, I filed on 25 October 2013 a Supplemental Complaint Affidavit before the Office of the Ombudsman against Hagedorn, now charging him of hiding his ownership and interests over seven (7) business corporations and establishments, including a Jollibee franchise in Puerto Princesa that earns 115 million pesos a year in 2011 and 2012.

In these corporations that he did not declare in his SALNs, Mr. Hagedorn has been a majority if not a substantially-big stockholders and these are:

1.     Palawan Jolly Foods Corporation, which operates the Jollibee franchise in Puerto Princesa City;

2.     Puerto Princesa Broadcasting Corporation, which operates a station in Palawan;

3.     Puerto Prince Bee Foods Corporation;

4.     Green Forest Blue Waters Corporation;

5.     Radiant Homes Land Development RHLD, Inc.; and

6.     Hagedorn Travel & Tours Inc.

For not disclosing these business corporations as his business and interests, Mr. Hagedorn violated the law on SALN for thirty-three times.

Due to non-disclosure of business interests, Mr. Hagedorn committed criminal offenses of violating Section 7(a) and Section 7(b) of RA No. 6713.

Section 7(a) refers to the prohibition against any employee or official to have any financial or material interest in any transaction requiring the approval of his office.

Section 7(b) refers to the prohibition against owning, managing, controlling, or accepting employment in any private enterprise regulated, supervised or licensed by his office.

All these corporations of Hagedorn have principal offices of business in Puerto Princesa City and it must be that he issued mayor’s permit and business permits to his business establishments.

If a lowly court employee in Panabo, Davao del Norte was removed from the service for failure to disclose in her SALN her stall in the public market that she leased out for P3,000 a month, if ex-Chief Justice Renato C. Corona was removed from his position for failure to disclose his real and personal properties, with more reason that Mr. Hagedorn must be punished for doing the same.

Let me announced that as soon as I complete researches in other areas, I am filing a second supplemental complaint.

Justice for the Country and People.