The Justice department has recommended to Malacañang the cancellation of the lease contract entered into by Nayong Pilipino Foundation Inc. with the Hong Kong-based Landing Resorts Philippines Development Corp. for the construction of a gaming complex on its property along Manila Bay in Parañaque City.
The Palace said the contract would definitely be canceled following the foundation’s advertisement insisting on the legality of the contract.
“That is definitely for cancellation because [Justice] Secretary [Menardo] Guevarra has already supported the opinion of the President that the contract is flawed,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque told reporters on Friday.
“The only difference is, as stated by Secretary Guevarra, the said contract is void from the very beginning.”
Roque said Guevarra had concluded that NPFI’s lease contract with LRPDC had no legal effect because it was void from the beginning.
“According to the secretary of Justice, the contract of Landing with Nayong Pilipino is a build-operate-transfer contract disguised as a lease contract,” Roque said.
Because it is a build-operate-transfer project, it should have complied with the BOT law including public bidding, he said.
“This of course rebuts the public advertisement paid for by the former officials of the Nayong Pilipino. Again, I reiterate the DoJ has joined the President in concluding the contract is void ab initio,” Roque said.
Justice department had rejected the claim of the sacked NFP board of trustees head Patricia Yvette Ocampo that public bidding was not required for the deal.
Duterte earlier ordered the department to review the contract, which he said was “flawed.”
