Visayas Ombudsman asked to probe Lolypop, husband for plunder, graft

| Photo from FB page of Rep. Lolypop Ouano-Dizon

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Radio broadcaster and international boxing judge Edward Ligas has asked the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas to investigate Mandaue City Lone District Rep. Emmarie Dolores “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon and her husband, Opao Barangay Captain Nixon “Jojo” Dizon.

Ligas has accused the two of plunder, violation of the Anti-Graft, and Corrupt Practices Act, the falsification of public documents and the falsification of their Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).

He alleged that the couple illegally acquired a 2,500 square meter lot that was part of the 186-hectare reclamation contract between the Mandaue City government and a private developer.

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The couple, Ligas said, acquired the property in question for only P2 million after they were issued a deed of absolute sale on December 16, 1992, which was way below its actual valuation of P50 million.

Ligas claimed that the property is currently worth P70 million, computed at P28, 100 per square meter.

“Their actions (Lolypop and husband Jojo) constitute a violation of the Plunder Law, as they have unlawfully amassed wealth to the prejudice of the government, specifically the City of Mandaue, and its people,” read part of the complaint.

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Harassment

Emmarie Dolores “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon, for her part, insisted that the transaction was legal.

“Krimen ba diay ang usa ka private citizen mopalit og yuta from a private developer?,” she said in a statement released on Tuesday afternoon.

The congresswoman said that she was still a private citizen when the purchase was made more than 30 years ago.

READ: Rep. Ouano-Dizon allocates P2.9B worth of projects for Mandaue this year

Ouano-Dizon said she will elaborate on her explanation as soon as she receives a copy of the complaints against her and her husband.

But this early, she expressed confidence that the charges will be dropped as soon as she is able to present her side.

“We heard about the filing of cases against [us] only from media reports and we have not seen a copy of it yet so I cannot comment on the details yet. Pero confident kaayo ko that when our explanation and evidence are heard, these charges will be dismissed,” read part of her statement.

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“For one, more than 30 years ago pa intawon ang sale sa yuta, wala pa gani ko sa serbisyo atong panahona. Karon pa kunuhay nahimong sala diay. Ambot kunus-a nahimong plunder ang sale of P2M, unless the purpose of the baseless charge is to malign our family.,” it added.

As to the questions on her SALN, “this was raised in a related case in the past that was ALREADY DISMISSED.”

Ouano-Dizon said that the filing of charges against her was a form of “harassment” going into the election season.

Edward Ligas | CDN Digital photo / Futch Anthony Inso

Reclamation Project

On Tuesday morning, Ligas visited the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas to lodge his complaints.

He alleged that on May 28, 1992, Branch 28 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Mandaue City named the city government as the owner of the reclamation project that was conveyed and assigned to the Mandaue Realty and Resources Corporation (MARRECO) through a memorandum of agreement.

On March 1, 1993, the Original Certificate of Title for the 186-hectares of reclaimed lot was issued to Mandaue City.

But on January 15, 2003, MARRECO became the owner of the lot that was sold to the Dizons.

The Dizons then registered lot 1-K-3-F-2 under their names which led to the issuance of TCT 55310.

Ligas alleged that the transfer of title was done after the Dizon couple presented to the Register of Deeds two documents – a deed of absolute sale dated December 16, 1992 and a confirmation dated December 19, 1996 as proof that the property was already sold to them.

But Ligas questioned how the come a 2002 subdivision survey and a TCT issued in 2003 were annotated in a 1996 document?

He also alleged that when they had the property registered under their names, Ouano-Dizon was already working as a private secretary for her father, the late Mandaue City Mayor  Thadeo “Teddy” Ouano. She continued to serve as his private secretary until June 30, 2007.

Falsified documents

In his complaint, Ligas alleged that the 1996 confirmation was falsified to make it appear that the transaction took place before she joined government service.

The National Archives of the Philippines, Ligas said, even certified that they do not have a copy of the confirmation of the exact location of the property that was sold to the Dizon couple after the final survey that was executed by MARRECO on December 19, 1996.

“Simply put, graft and corrupt practices include bribery extortion and nepotism, which are characterized by putting self-vested interests above the mandate of serving for public welfare, accompanied by secrecy and deception without regard of dire effect to the public,” Ligas said.

Ligas accused Ouano-Dizon of violating sections 4(a) and 3(h) of R.A. 3019 for taking advantage of her relationship with then-mayor Pedong Ouano, who was her grandfather and direct supervisor, when she acquired the government-owned lot.

In addition, he also accused the couple of violating Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code by conniving to produce falsified documents to support their acquisition of a portion of the reclamation area.

“The respondents acted in concert and connivance with each other, in the commission of the crimes with clear criminal intent to conceal, falsify, and gain from the acts,” Ligas said.

Acquisition cost

Moreover, Ligas raised a question on the actual value of the property.

The 1992 Deed of Absolute Sale between MARRECO and the Dizon couple mentioned that the property was acquired for P2.5 million.

However, the annotation on TCT No. 50817 dated November 9, 2005, mentioned of P2 million as the lot value.

Ligas claimed the property’s actual valuation when it was sold was P50 million.  It now cost P70 million.

With this, he said that the Dizon couple has “unjustly enriched themselves” at the expense of the Mandaue City government.

Also, Ligas alleged that Ouano-Dizon violated the SALN Law for her failure to submit a true and detailed sworn statement of her assets and liabilities, source of income, personal expenses, and taxes paid in the preceding years.