Man facing perjury charges in Harbour Centre row

MANILA, Philippines – A man is facing charges for perjury and falsification of public documents after he claimed that he was the corporate secretary of Harbour Centre Port Terminal, Incorporated (HCPTI).

The Quezon City Prosecutors’ Office found probable cause to sue Jerome Canlas, who submitted papers supposedly showing he was HCPTI’s corporate secretary.

“All the evidence lies against respondent … evidence shows that he knows he was not appointed by the Board of Directors controlled by Harbour Holdings,” said Acting City Prosecutor Ferdinand Fernandez in a resolution.

HCPTI corporate officers Edwin Jeremillo and Edwin Joseph Galvez filed the complaint against Canlas.

Previously, Canlas filed 4 complaints of qualified theft against Jeremillo and Galvez, claiming that HCPTI authorized him to initiate the cases.

But the prosecutor said that Canlas “made untruthful statements” in the papers he presented, including “the utterly false General Information Sheet.”

In that document, Canlas did not include Harbour Centre Port Holdings, Incorporated (HCPHI) in the list of HCPTI stockholders, and instead listed R-II Builders and R-II Holdings.

“Since Harbour Holdings has not transferred its shares in HCPTI over to R-II Builders, Inc and R-II Holdings, Inc, Harbour Holdings remains as a stockholder of HCPTI,” the prosecutor stated in the resolution. “Were these untrue statements deliberately and willfully made? Again, the answer is yes.”

The prosecutor also said that his resolution is consistent with a May 6, 2015 order from the Manila Regional Trial Court. 

The court ruled that HCPHI, led by its president Michael Romero, is still the majority stockholder of HCPTI and therefore has authority over the disputed port terminal. – Rappler.com