For holding several positions: Probe sought vs airport exec

CEBU, Philippines - Self-styled anti-graft crusader Crisologo Saavedra has asked the Office of  the Ombudsman to investigate the assistant general manager of Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) for allegedly holding four sensitive positions.

Saavedra also accused Lawyer Glenn Napuli of contributing to the election funds of President Rodrigo Duterte using “kickbacks” from alleged illegal transactions of MCIAA.

He said some MCIA officials also received P50 million kickbacks in the P800 million building replication project of the Philippine Air Force and another P200 million kickbacks of the P590 million lot deal.

Saavedra named Napuli as “sacred cow” and was allegedly appointed by the president to fix Court of Appeals cases and as bagman.

Saavedra said he is willing to testify in the investigation and will name government officials, fixers, politicians, and lawyers who allegedly became multi-millionaires overnight because of illegal transactions.

Napuli denied the accusations. He said Saavedra campaigned against Duterte but is now claiming to be a supporter of the president.

Saavedra said he did not campaign for any candidate in the last elections. He insisted that Napuli campaigned for Duterte and donated money.

Saavedra said that it was Undersecretary Noel Felongco of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and a certain Mrs. Bacalla who told him.

Felongco was the point person of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) in Central Visayas.

Napuli said he did not engaged in partisan politics nor made personal contributions to any politician. He explained that he was appointed as Legal Division manager in 2007 but later on designated as acting general manager and officer-in-charge-Finance Department even before the time of the new MCIAA Board.

“My designations were not positions given by the Duterte Administration as I was already holding them before the new MCIAA Board appointed by President Duterte came. I am not aware of those four juicy positions that Mr. Saavedra claims that I am holding,” Napuli said.

Napuli said the MCIAA website where Saavedra got information about his supposed positions is not updated.

“If indeed I am a sacred cow and untouchable because of the Duterte Administration, I should have been given already a position or at least a promotion. On the contrary, I am still holding the same position that I have since 2007 even after one year that President Duterte is in office,” Napuli said. (FREEMAN)