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By Ralph Villanueva, August 8 2018; The Manila Times

https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-orders-justice-to-review-nayong-pilipino-lease-contract/428125/

Image Credit to Rappler

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to review the “grossly disadvantageous” Nayong Pilipino lease contract, Malacanang said on Wednesday.

“The President told me that he is calling for DOJ secretary Menardo Guevarra to review the contract. The President called the contract flawed,” Spokesman Harry Roque Jr.said in a radio interview on Wednesday morning.

The directive comes a day after the President fired the entire board of directors and management of the Nayong Pilipino Foundation, Inc. (NPFI) over its 25-year contract with the Landing Resorts Philippines Development Corp. (LRPDC).

Roque said Duterte had information that the contract should have gone into at least one public bidding since it was not a project of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) or the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.

“[The President] is puzzled by this, because that is the only exception [to public biddings,]if the idle land is owned by the TIEZA or PEZA-accredited industry. But there is no accreditation for the landing, so it should really go through a public bidding,” Roque said.

In a text message to reporters, Guevarra said the review was ongoing and the recommendation on what to do with the contract would be given “as soon as possible.”