UNINFORMED ABOUT PRISONER REHAB PROVISION OF TADECO-BUCOR AGREEMENT
BY ROGER M. BALANZA
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre is not aware that rehabilitation of prisoners is the primary goal of the Joint Venture (JVA) between the Tagum Agricultural Development Company (TADECO) and the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) covering more than 5,000 hectares of the Davao Penal Colony (Dapecol) in Davao del Norte.
Aguirre said at a congressional hearing on the JVA on Monday, May 29, that he was not aware that the TADECO-BuCor deal also involved rehabilitation of Dapecol inmates.
“I was not informed that this contract constitute some parts of rehabilitation of the inmates,” Aguirre said at the joint hearing of the House of Representatives Committee on Justice and the Committee on Good Governance and Public Accountability.
Aguirre was not yet Secretary of the Department of Justice when the 25-year JVA was last reviewed and approved by both the DOJ and Congress.
The rehabilitation aspect of the JVA has been described by BuCor as a success.
House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez initiated the congressional inquiry claiming that the JVA was illegal and disadvantageous to the government.
Alvarez has earlier also asked Aguirre to have the deal cancelled. Aguirre however said the power to cancel the contract is in the hands of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Under the JVA, BuCor will merely provide the land and manpower, while Tadeco will provide the capital in developing a portion of the Dapecol as a banana plantation primarily to help rehabilitate inmates inside the penal colony. Tadeco will assume all the business risks under the agreement.
Tadeco has hired inmates as farm workers who are paid minimum wage.
The success of the JVA as a rehabilitation program has inspired the BuCor to request Tadeco to replicate the JVA in Iwahig Penal Colony in Palawan.
At the hearing, Alvarez, who instigated the House inquiry after figuring in a personal quarrel with Rep. Antonio Floirendo Jr. whose family owns Tadeco , attempted to dispute the banana company’s firm stand on the JVA and its inarguable benefits to the government.
Responding to Alvarez, Tadeco president and CEO Alex Valoria told lawmakers that under the JVA, BuCor is guaranteed a production share, which is a fixed amount under the agreement, as well as a portion of the profits from the bananas exported by the company.
These guaranteed earnings are reviewed and increased by 10 percent every five years, Valoria said.
According to Valoria, BuCor, without spending a single centavo, earned last year a total of P142.72 million or 45% share in Tadeco’s P316 million net income from the banana plantation covered by the JVA.
Breaking down the the 2016 figure, Valoria said Tadeco paid BuCor a guaranteed production share of P35.36 million, and a profit share of P9.53 million.
On top pf this, Tadeco also spent P5.5 million for farm training program for inmates and P92.35 million for stipend support.
Last year, Tadeco paid nearly half a billion pesos in taxes, belying allegations its agreement with BuCor was “disadvantageous” to the government as claimed by Alvarez.
An audited financial statement showed that the giant Cavendish banana growing and exporting company paid to the government P438 million representing taxes and fees. The payments included real property taxes, business permits and fees, withholding tax on compensation, fringe benefits, and regulatory fees.
In the hearing, Alvarez insisted on his claim that the Tadeco-Bucor deal violated the Constitution.
Tadeco’s legal counsel refuted this by saying that under both the 1935 Constitution and the 1973 Constitution, the government is not barred from entering into such arrangements with respect to the development of natural resources. Tadeco’s counsel likewise pointed out that under the present 1987 Constitution, specifically Section 2, Article 12, the government can enter into JVAs involving “inalienable land of the public domain.”
DAVNOR EXECS VS. ALVAREZ
Meanwhile, as Alvarez hounds Tadeco, local government officials of Davao del Norte are rallying behind the banana company citing its contribution to the economic development of the province.
Mea
TOPNEWSNOW 
“I was not informed that this contract constitute some parts of rehabilitation of the inmates,”
Naku don’t us. Umpisa pa lang sinasabi na sa inyo yan ng Tadeco. Tapos sasabihin mo you were not informed??
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Baka nagbibingi-bingihan lang itong si Aguirre. Ngayon nagmamaang maangan.
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Hahaha..maglinis kamo siya ng tenga niya baka nabibingi na siya.
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Nagbubulagbulagan po siya dahil may laman na naman ang bulsa hahahaha
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Biglang nabingin si mr. justice kase natapalan ng milyong pera ung tenga nia.. Ha ha ha 😂😂😂
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Lahat ng katangahan gagawin niya para lang matakpan lahat ng mga gawain nila ni Alvarez na ipabagsak ang TADECO.
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Marami kasing hindi alam si aguirre. Nasulsulan lang nitong si Alvarez, para makuha niya ang gusto niya.
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He knows po yun, he just following the bidding of Alvarez. Blackmailed and paid na.
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Contracted na siguro si Aguirre kay Alvarez. He has become a puppet of the devil. Its all a game for them.
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He is blinded by Alvarez, maybe with money or blackmail. Yan lang sinabi niya dahil di na siya nakaisip ng palasot.
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Corrupt people is always blinded by money.. example di daw na informed e una plang sinasabi na sinabi na sa nio. . .
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Its obvious puro pasarap na lang ginagawa nila that Aguirre doesn’t have time to study the findings that was submitted by TADECO o nagtatanga tangahan talaga siya.
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naging bingi sya kase meron pera nkalatag skanya.. that simple.. kaya i was not informed daw
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Nagkukunwari lang yun na walang alam o kaya hindi talaga siya nakikinig sa ano man ang sinabi sa kanya ng TADECO. Kay Alvarez lang ang taenga niya at ang mata ay nasa pera.
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Hindi naman kasi sila nakikinig. Basta kung ano ang opinion nila yun lang. Hindi nila pinapakinggan ang opinion ng iba. Napaka unfair naman.
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Bayad po ang opinion ni Aguirre ni Alvarez. Sino po ba may guts na pinindigan ang statements ni Alvarez kung alam mo naman ang facts and data about tadeco. Unless na lng po na binayaran ka, diba ho ba?
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kht kelan naman hindi sila naging patas sa laban. . . naging bingi at bulag sa katotohan. . .
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Ganyan naman sila lumaban hindi patas dpat lagi silang lamang.,
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Pipilitin at pipilitin ang gusto nila at ipaglalaban talaga nila yun kahit ano pa ang mangyari kasi may interes sila sa TADECO pati gusto ni Alvarez pabagsakin si Floirendo dahil sa away ng mga kabit nila.
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Ang ganda talaga ng programang ginawa ng tadeco. At ang daming natutulungan.
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Yup maganda talaga programa ginagwa ng TADECO maraming pamilya nattulungan. . . pero itong si mr. speaker at si mr. justice gusto nila sirain lahat
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gusto nila sila makinabang para sa bulsa nila massiksik ung pera.. bkt ba tau ngkaron ng ganyan DOJ secretary..
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Kaya dapat ipagpatuloy nila ang JVA. Sana sa ibang mga penal colony ay ma-implement nila ang ganyang agreement para maging malawak ang pagunawa ng mga nakakulong at makatulong rin sa mga sari-sarili nilang mga pamilya.
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haha! kaya nga sinasabi sayo Aguirre na pag aralan mo muna mabuti, kasalanan ba ng TADECO na hnd nasabi sayo? o hindi tlga pinaalam sayo ni Alvarez?
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Its either nagtatanga-tangahan yan si Aguirre o sadyang pinanganak na bobo talaga. Nakakaubos ng pasensya ang ganyan mga klaseng tao. Kung kailan dapat makamit ang hustisya, hindi magawa dahil nagiging utusan ng demonyo.
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Naku Aguirre naturingan kang secretary ng DOJ hindi mo alam yan? Nagbabasa ka ba? Sayang binabayad sayo.
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Lagi na lang nia hindi alam kaya a yun walang hustisya sa Pilipinas.. malapit na din sila mabisto kaya ganun..
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Mr. Justice titolo niya pero mukhang hindi alam kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng justice. Nakakahinayang na siya pa ang linagay sa puwesto pero hindi alam kung paano gawin ang trabaho.
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I dont know how aguirre become a secretary of DOJ with that kind of performance. Its a common knowledge na tadeco is part of rehabilitation of prisoners. Im cringing in his statements.
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Kaya nga wala tau Justice dito sa Pilipinas kase dhil skanya. Basta nagkalaman ang bulsa wala ng nakkita at narrinig
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Napakaincompetent niya bilang isang official ng gobyerno. Given factor na ang rehabilitation ng prisoners but he doesn’t get the fact because he is too ignorant to understand what is right and what is wrong.
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sana pag-aralan nio po mabuti ang issue tungkol sa lupa. marami na po naddamay at marami din po na aapektuhan dhil dito.
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Hindi na nila pinagaaralan niyan. They just come up with false accusations that doesn’t make any sense.
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