House panel cites Imee Marcos’ boyfriend for contempt

The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability on Monday cited for contempt the Singaporean businessman and boyfriend of Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos allegedly involved in the local government's P66.45 million purchase of motor vehicles supposedly using tobacco excise tax shares.

This, after he repeatedly failed to the attend the House panel inquiry into the matter.

During the House hearing, Pampanga Representative Juan Pablo Bondoc moved to cite Mark Chua for contempt for failing to show up during the inquiry despite the issuance of a show cause order on him.

House Comm on Good Gov’t and Public Accountability resumes inquiry into Ilocos Gov’t’s P66.45-M purchase of motor vehicles @gmanews pic.twitter.com/5phbgKG5x3

— Erwin Colcol (@erwincolcol) October 9, 2017

In the August 31 hearing, Fabian Go, president of Granstar Motors and Industrial Corp. from which the motor vehicles were purchased, revealed that he had met with Chua to purchase, in separate transactions, a total of 110 motor vehicles.

Go admitted during the hearing that he had no idea that the transactions were made for the Ilocos Norte government because he was dealing with Chua.

"I have no idea that government funds were used to buy my vehicles," he said.

Go admitted, however, that he had met with Chua and Marcos around April this year, as the House prepared for their inquiry.

"I was advised that there is an investigation," Go said.

"[My] normal reaction is that they're customers. I have no idea what the investigation was all about until I read the [news]papers," he added.

The House panel has sought the presence of Chua in the hearings to clarify Go's statements, but he has not appeared since his name was first mentioned in the August 31 hearing.

Marcos has described Chua in a newspaper report in 2010, saying that he is a "fun" and a "very quiet" person.

Aside from Chua, the House panel also moved to issue an arrest warrant on Granstar Motors vice president for operations Gilbert Suribas for failing to attend the hearing despite being earlier cited for contempt.

Another personality involved in the transaction, Chua's personal secretary Irene Mendoza, was also cited for contempt.

House panel chair Johnny Pimentel explained in a press conference that Mendoza was the first to ask Go about the motor vehicles on Chua's behalf.

Meanwhile, Michelle Galan, owner and chief operating officer of The House of Precast, was likewise cited for contempt for failing to attend Monday's hearing.

This is in relation to the House panel's concurrent investigation into the purchase of materials and installation of precast concrete for Paseo de Paoay in July 2012. —KG/BM, GMA News