AN official of the Presidential Commission on Good Government
(PCGG) said they are not bothered by the P116-million countersuit filed against
them by the Lopez-owned utility firm Manila Electric Company (Meralco) involving
a sequestered property in Tagaytay City.
PCGG commissioner for legal affairs Narciso Nario said they
even welcome the suit as it would afford everybody the chance to present their
sides in the proper forum.
"We are confident we can disprove the accusation against us,"
Nario said. "I am confident we will win the case."
Meralco is seeking P116 million in compensation and another
P200,000 in moral damages for a 6,000-square meter property which PCGG
sequestered in 1986 for allegedly being part of the Marcos family's ill-gotten
wealth.
Meralco blamed PCGG for the latter's failure to annotate its
claim on the title to the property which the utility firm bought from Nacor
Trading Corp. for P9 million in 1993.
Meralco's legal counsel Jose Reny T. Albarico said his
clients consummated the purchase "after a tedious and diligent examination and
that the title was clean and free from any lien or encumbrance whatsoever." He
said that in the absence of an adverse claim over the property, its acquisition
by Meralco is legal and beyond question.
Meralco has already upgraded the property by building an extension office and
a repeater station worth P109 million on it. The company said the station serves
as a backbone to their franchise area covering Tagaytay and surrounding places.
- Ashzel Hachero
