ANGELES CITY — Former city mayor Carmelo “Tarzan” Lazatin has requested the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) for the tax information of a certain Elvira Cruz-Granil in aid of his graft and corruption complaint against incumbent Chief Executive Edgardo Pamintuan and other city officials.
In a communication to Jethro Sabariaga, BIR Officer-In-Charge, dated July 31, 2017, Lazatin asked his office “to provide the undersigned with information on the tax payment status of Crystal Palace Bar, Clubasia’s Palladium Hotel and its owner, Elvira Cruz-Granil certified by your office.”
Lazatin wrote “that the information will be used in aid to our complaint being prepared by the undersigned’s legal team on the questionable contract of the Angeles City Government under Mayor Pamintuan, Crystal Palace Bar and Clubasia’s Palladium Hotel.”
Granil is the registered owner of both Crystal Palace Bar and Clubasia’s Palladium Hotel.
Palladium Hotel is “illegally” using a government land property located at Real St., in Barangay Balibago and covered by TCT No. 15956. The property has an area of 1,126 square meters.
Lazatin said Palladium is not authorize to use the property since the city government is leasing the same property to Crystal Palace Bar for 25 years as stated in the Lease of Contract between the firm and the city government signed by Mayor Pamintuan on January 22, 2013, for P140,000 monthly rental.
“Clearly the rightful lessee of the government property is Crystal Palace Bar and not this Palladium Hotel,” Lazatin said.
He added that “there is a clear violation of lease of contract and it is obviously disadvantageous to the City Government.”
“Palladium hotel must vacate the government property at once,” Lazatin said.
Lazatin’s son, opposition Councilor Pogi, filed a resolution last July 13, 2017, calling for a full-blown investigation on the operations of Crystal Palace Bar, a business leasing a property of the Angeles City Government located at Real St., Balibago and covered by TCT No. 15956, for violations of its lease contract that cause undue injury and disadvantage to the government; and a related investigation of Palladium Hotel for illegally using the same property without legal contract with the Angeles City Local Government.
The resolution was rejected by the City Council’s majority bloc headed by Councilor Alexander Indiongco, Jericho Aguas and Edgardo Pamintuan, Jr., “for lack of merit.”
“It does not matter who represents the companies. What matters is the fact that Crystal Palace Bar and Palladium Hotel are two different and distinct businesses. The former has the legal contract to lease. Palladium has no authority to use the property. Actually, the mere fact that the same person has represented these businesses raises more questions and doubts as to why was she given much accommodation and credence despite the fact of her intent to abuse the contract,” the young Lazatin said.