House panel to probe sale of POC lots
ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Niña Taduran has said the House committee on health will investigate the questionable sale of two parcels of lot belonging to the Philippine Orthopedic Center (POC) to a private couple at the height of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic despite a Supreme Court (SC) ruling against it.
Taduran said the sale of the lots amounting to tens of millions of pesos came at a time when the health sector was in deep trouble due to the pandemic.
At the very least, Taduran said propriety dictates that such sale must undergo strict public scrutiny to find out whether or not the deal was legal.
“It came under questionable circumstances. It begs us to ask why there was apparent haste in the sale as the deal was done when everyone was not looking because of COVID-19. We received information that the lots were sold with the help of a then retiring local registry of deeds official. What have we lost here? That we need to find out,” Taduran explained.
The lady lawmaker filed House Resolution (HR) No. 2336 requesting the House of Representatives’ appropriate committee to “conduct an investigation in aid of legislation on the apparent unlawful deprivation by the (POC) of ownership over its two parcels of land.”
She said her office got hold of documents on the alleged “Anomalous Transfer of Gov’t. Prop., Executive Secretary summary w/ Appendages” containing photocopies of documents showing that since 1947, POC has been the lawful owner and “possessor” of two lots, one measured to be 1,516.50 square meters and the other, 1,517 square meters, adjacent to the present location of the hospital in Quezon City.
She said the House leadership tossed the resolution to the health panel chaired by Quezon Rep. Angelina “Doktora Helen” Tan and a public hearing on the matter maybe called anytime soon.
