Hold departure order out vs Genuinos, ex-Pagcor officials

Former Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) chairman Efraim Genuino, and several others including his two children, have been included in the hold departure order (HDO) list of the Bureau of Immigration (BI). They were barred from leaving the country because of plunder and corruption charges filed against them. According to Attorney Ma. Antonette Bucasas-Mangrobang, BI Spokesperson, aside from Genuino, in the HDO list are Attorney Erwin Genuino, Sheryl Genuino-See, former Pagcor chief operating officer and president Raphael Francisco, and former Pagcor vice president for corporate communications and services department Edward King. Also on the HDO list are former Pagcor executive vice president Rene Figeroa, former Pagcor vice president for legal department Attorney Carlos Bautista Jr., Batang Iwas Droga (BIDA) party-list nominee Emil Marcelo, former Pagcor consultant Rodolfo Soriano Jr.; and Johnny Tan of BIDA. Mangrobang said Department of Justice (DOJ) Chief State Counsel Ricardo Paras issued the HDO on Friday. The HDO will be valid for five years. However, Mangrobang clarified that those in the list will be allowed to travel out of the country if they are issued allow departure orders (ADO) by the DOJ. Earlier, the DOJ formed a three-man investigating panel to handle the plunder compliant filed against Pagcor chairman Genuino and 40 others. The charges alleged the use of P186 million in Pagcor funds for See’s congressional bid after she ran as first nominee of the party-list BIDA Foundation in the 2010 elections. Erwin Genuino allegedly benefited from the 300-metric ton rice donation of a Japanese firm to the Philippine government during the election campaign in 2010 when he ran and lost in his bid for Mayor of Makati. — ELR/VS, GMA News