Company involved in excavation at NBP withdraws from deal

The company involved in the controversial excavation at the New Bilibid Prison has withdrawn from the deal it entered into with suspended Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag, an official said Friday.

Virgilio Bote, president of Agua Tierra Oro Mina Development Corporation (ATOM), told GMA Integrated News that he withdrew from the joint venture agreement (JVA) on Thursday and would soon be removing his equipment from the area.

"Naguguluhan na rin ako so sabi ko aalis na lang ako," he said.  

The JVA, a copy of which was seen by GMA Integrated News, involves transforming the New Bilibid Prison reservation in Muntinlupa City into a commercial, residential and industrial area. 

Bote and Bantag signed the JVA on October 8, 2021. 

Under the agreement, ATOM donated 234 hectares of land in General Tinio, Nueva Ecija to BuCor where a new prison will be built for persons deprived of liberty (PDL) from the NBP and Correctional Institution for Women. 

The facility will be constructed by ATOM at no cost to BuCor. 

According to the agreement, the bureau plans to call the facility "Bagong Lupa." 

"Whereas, the First Party has decided to transfer the PDLs from NBP and CIW to Barangay Pias, General Tinio, Nueva Ecija, which will be called ‘Bagong Lupa’ consistent with its decongestion program and based on its mandate of safekeeping and reformation of PDLs," the JVA stated. 

Once vacated, the 375.6-hectare Bilibid reservation would be turned into "a commercial, residential and industrial area at no cost on the part of BuCor." 

Bote said that the area will be leased out and not sold.

"The agreement will take effect from its execution for a period of twenty five (25) years and renewal for another twenty five (25) years," the agreement stated. 

The parties agreed to a revenue sharing rate of 65% for ATOM and 35% for BuCor.

The JVA likewise stated that the historical sites inside the reservation will not be part of the development plans. 

Among the plans, according to Bote, are the construction of an F1 race track and a water park. 

"Bakit yung Vietnam merong F1? Bakit tayo wala pa? Kasi maiiba yung imahe ng ating bansa...Meron sanang Chinese na magre-rent doon, 20 hectares, P6 million a month, babayad sa BuCor for 25 years. Sana may income na sana kaya lang hindi natuloy," Bote said. 

"Sayang maganda po sana ang gusto ni Gen. Bantag na malipat po talaga yung BuCor kasi ang problema sa BuCor yung facility. Yung design namin doon sa second floor at third floor titira ang mga inmates," he said, adding that this design would prevent inmates from escaping through underground tunnels. 

Bote clarified that there was no intention to keep the contents of the JVA secret.

He said Bantag informed then Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra about the agreement. 

"Sinubmit nya kay Sec. Guevarra, hinold po ni Sec. Guevarra. After three months nagtanong si DG Bantag kung bakit walang response. Wala ding response si Sec. Guevarra," he said. 

Bote said he visited Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla after the latter assumed office to explain the project. 

"Nung nagpunta ako kay Secretary Remulla sabi nya 'OK naman yan, sige pag-aralan natin.' Verbal lang na pag-aaralan sabi nya 'maganda yan pero pag-aralan muna natin.' Hanggang sa dumating ang problemang ito," Bote said. 

In response, Remulla said the JVA had no legal basis. 

As for the digging inside the NBP reservation, Bote said that Bantag sought his help to build a "deep sea diving pool" because he has the equipment, personnel, and experience in excavation as they have done big construction projects in the past. 

He also said that there was already a big hole in the area before he accepted Bantag's request. 

He stressed, however, that excavation was not part of the agreement. 

"Kaya naman po ako napasok doon kasi tinanong ako kung marunong yung mga operator ng malalim na diggings eh sanay po kami doon eh. Katuwiran ko po talaga diesel lang naman puhunan doon dahil sa akin naman ang equipment. After that, sisimentohan sana yun para ma-start na yung free diving pati mga makinarya," he said.

On Thursday, Bantag defended the diving pool project, saying it was intended for the training of jail personnel for disaster response.

Remulla, however, claimed that Bantag allegedly informed him that he was scouring the NBP for the Yamashita treasure.

Still, Remulla said that the contract between BuCor and ATOM is neither valid nor enforceable.

“Balewala naman ‘yun kasi nga wala namang authority ‘yung Secretary of Justice at saka walang authority sa Pangulo ng Republika ng Pilipinas,” Remulla said in an interview with Super Radyo dzBB on Friday.

(It’s not valid because it has no authorization from the Secretary of Justice and the President of the Philippines.) —VBL, GMA Integrated News