MANILA, Philippines — The Senate is set to conduct an inquiry into the scrapped $1.5-billion resort project entered into by former officials of the Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF) with a private firm.
Sen. Francis Escudero has filed a resolution asking the Senate Blue Ribbon committee to investigate the alleged corruption committed by former NPF officials in connection with a 50-year lease agreement with Landing Resorts Philippines Development Corp., whose parent company is the Hong Kong-listed Landing International.
The deal includes the construction of an integrated resort project to be built on the NPF property in Parañaque City.
President Duterte sacked the entire NPF board on Aug. 7 over the allegedly anomalous project.
The deal was supposedly disadvantageous to the government as it stands to lose at least P517 million per year in land rentals.
Malacañang slammed the NPF officials for publishing a paid advertisement explaining their side to the public.
“This publication of an open letter is a defiance to the President’s decision,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said. – Christina Mendez