If Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Jay Ruiz thinks that the whole shebang about his having “sat” as a mere designated officer for a photo opportunity to represent a firm capitalized only at P130,000 that bagged a P178.5-million project for the production and transmission of PCSO’s lotto draws and other games on television has evaporated, he should think again.
The contract between PCSO and Intercontinental Broadcasting Corp. (IBC) indeed showed that the joint venture of the state broadcaster and Digital8 bagged a P178.5-million project for the production and transmission of PCSO’s lotto draws and other games on TV. PCSO, which is headed by Mel Robles, posted on its website on Sept. 30, 2024 the invitation to bid for the project that was capped at P180 million. Apparently, Digital 8 had no competition since it secured the notice of award on Oct. 30, 2024 for P178.5 million, which confirms the hypersonic speed that attended the entire process. The photo op featured Ruiz, as Digital 8 representative, Policarpio and another lawyer. It is also strange to note that aside from Ruiz, the former PTV general manager, Ana Puod, was also linked to Digital 8.
While we may pity Ruiz for his fear that he will be harassed because of the “faked” news about his purported conflict of interest and request for additional security, the fact remains that Digital 8 was capitalized at only P130,000, which is a mile removed from the P187.5-million project it is undertaking on behalf of Robles’s PCSO and in collaboration with Policarpio’s IBC. To clear up the matter, as Ruiz must, the PCO chief must divulge the documents and assessment that led to PCSO’s choosing Digital 8 to win the award. This means putting both Ruiz and Robles on the dock, along with Puod (another Puod is listed in as a shareholder in the latest General Information Sheet or GIS of Digital 8 on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission or SEC.)
Since Ruiz already produced the documents that purport him to be not an incorporator and stockholder of Digital 8, the public must likewise be completely assured that he is not a beneficial owner and that not one of the incorporators represents his interest. Like Caesar’s wife, Ruiz should be beyond reproach. He should junk any business interest with Puod, the Digital 8 owners and even Policarpio, who represents IBC. Looking at the “dramatis personae” in the agreement, all of them are engaged in the same business—with Ruiz handling political accounts like Policarpio and Robles, a long-time fixture in the corridors of power.
Digital8 was registered with the SEC in 2012. Its incorporators were Supt. Rommel S. Miranda, who was still with the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) but subscribed to majority of the company’s shares, Romulus Miranda, Rowena Miranda, Imelda Santos, and Miguel Santos. Miranda’s middle name is Santos. In February 2012, while Supt. Miranda was still the NCRPO spokesman, he was implicated in the abduction and murder of Filipino-Chinese businesswoman Leah Angeles Ng, his long-time business partner, and neighbor in Quezon City, purportedly over some dispute over money. Ng’s body was retrieved from a septic tank in Laguna on Feb. 23, 2012, nearly five weeks after she disappeared.
Miranda was arrested and charged with the murder of Ng by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in May 2012. The others accused in the septic tank lady murder were PO1 Otelio Santos Jr., PO1 Jifford Signap, former policeman Reginel Regidor Santiago, who was described as Miranda’s buddy, and security Elmer Paiste. In their 14-page resolution dated May 24, prosecutors Arlie Alilam-Ramos and Xerxes Garcia “there is, however, sufficient evidence that the crime of murder, qualified by taking advantage of superior strength, was committed by respondents Miranda, Santos, Signap and Santiago.” They based their conclusions on evidence that included the extrajudicial confession of Santiago, who detailed his participation and the complicity of his cohorts in killing Ng. He pointed to Miranda as the one who masterminded the slaying, with the help of Signap and Santos. In his defense, Miranda said Ng was still alive when he left her in the company of Santiago. Miranda’s lawyer was Reynaldo Ruiz, who may or may not be related to Jay Ruiz.
Stranger still, did the PCSO, IBC, Ruiz and all the other parties to the assessment and award of the P187.5-million PCSO project know the fact that Miranda was implicated and charged in the murder of the “septic tank lady,” Leah Angeles Ng? It is not even clear if Miranda was prosecuted and convicted in the Ng case, which makes the award of the project to Digital 8 even more questionable. The excuse of Ruiz is that he is not a stockholder or incorporator of the company but apparently, former Supt. Miranda must have held him in high regard for him to be his representative for such a big project.
Ruiz now says that he is divesting himself from other business that he is engaged in, including the “political management” outfit and restaurants that may be raised against him for conflict of interest as PCO secretary. It is fairly easy to do this within 60 days or 30 days, but what Ruiz should have done earlier was to look at his own record and find out if he had not been involved with questionable characters or had done business with influence peddlers and special interests that compromise his function as the government’s principal megaphone. As we wrote earlier, stop the game of musical chairs. Ruiz may fret and sulk at being stabbed behind his back by the usual suspects in the Palace along with his pals, Gil Cabacungan and Rey Marfil. Yet, when facts come from all directions— North, East, West and South — it is hard to tag them as fake. News is truthful; rumors are not. Jay, where there is smoke, there is fire. (DIEGO MORRA)
