Reacting to news reports that Camp John Hay Development Corporation (CJHDevco) filed a perjury complaint against BCDA President and CEO Arnel Casanova,  BCDA legal counsel Demetrio Custodio, Jr. said that, “BCDA exercised due diligence and did not deliberately and willfully omit facts when it filed the estafa complaint against Robert John Sobrepena and other responsible officers of CJHDevco.”

Custodio said, “Based on all the pertinent documents available to BCDA at the time the Complaint was filed on March 9, 2012, there was ample factual and legal basis to support the estafa case against Sobrepena and his co-respondents.”

The lawyer emphasized that at the time of the dacion en pago—or payment in kind—to BCDA, the prior sale of the Voice of America (VOA) Log Home No. 9 to Wilson Sy was still existing.

“In fact, Sobrepena and his co-respondent Ferdinand Santos, in their Joint Rejoinder-Affidavit filed with the Department of Justice, stated that CJHDevco returned the P20 Million purchase price paid by Sy only on May 18, 2012—the same day that Sy executed his affidavit in favor of Sobrepena,” Custodio pointed out.

“Obviously, this perjury complaint against BCDA President and CEO Arnel Casanova is intended to derail BCDA’s efforts in holding CJHDevco accountable for its acts and omissions,” the lawyer said.

BCDA Corporate Secretary Peter Paul Flores agreed, saying that the perjury case filed by CJHDevco was an “act of harassment” against Casanova, who was simply doing his duty to protect public interest in Camp John Hay.

“The filing of this harassment suit, however, will not deter BCDA from performing its duty to uphold and protect the rights and interests of the Government and the Filipino people,” Flores added.