The House Committee on Health, through the initiative of ACT-CIS Partylist Rep. Rowena 'Niña' Taduran, will investigate the questionable sale of two lots belonging to the Philippine Orthopedic Center to a couple at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic despite a court ruling against it.
The partylist lady solon, in a statement, said the sale of the lots amounting to millions of pesos happened when the health sector was in trouble due to the pandemic.
She added that such a sale must go through strict public scrutiny to find out if the deal was legally made.
“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 said.
The lady solon introduced House Resolution No. 2336 requesting the Lower House's appropriate committee to "conduct an investigation in aid of legislation on the apparent unlawful deprivation by the of ownership over its two parcels of land."
She said her office got hold of documents on the "anomalous transfer of government property, executive summary with appendages" containing photocopies of documents showing that since 1947, the Philippine Orthopedic Center 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 gave the resolution to the Health committee chaired by Quezon Rep. Angelina "Helen" Tan and a public hearing on the matter may be called anytime soon.
The resolution indicated that on March 15, 2009, in a case for unlawful detainer involving the said lots, the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City ordered spouses Jose and Amelia Luriz "to restore the peaceful possession of the lots" of the Philippine Orthopedic Center.
However, on February 24, 2016, the Supreme Court denied the petition of Jose Luriz for reconstitution of the title of the subject lots, stating it belonged to the government. Afterwards on March 21, 2018, the Philippine Orthopedic Center through the Office of the Solicitor General filed its complaint for revival and enforcement of the March 15, 2009 judgment. The case is still pending at the said court.
Meanwhile, a Transfer of Certificate of Title (TCT) was issued to Jose Luriz by the Quezon City Registry of Deeds covering the two lots owned and occupied by Philippine Orthopedic Center on September 20, 2020.
On June 25, 2021, two new TCTs were issued by the Quezon City Registry of Deeds covering the same Philippine Orthopedic Center lots in an apparent sale to new buyers-spouses Winston Yu-Limwan and Maybelle Ng-Limwan and a private company, Visco Motors Corp.
It was not immediately known if the Limwan couple own Visco Motors Corp. but Taduran said it would be asked during the hearing.
“We would also like to dig deeper into the participation of Elbert Quilala who, according to some people, had retired from the local Registry of Deeds months after the TCTs were issued last year,” Taduran added.
The lady solon said she will ask the Health committee to summon the people involved and all the pertinent documents related to the sale of the properties supposedly belonging to the Philippine Orthopedic Center, a government hospital catering to the health needs of poor Filipinos, be shown.
Taduran also called on the panel to look into the “veracity of the apparent anomalous sale” of the lots and “irregular loss by the Philippine Orthopedic Center of its ownership, that a Congressional inquiry is necessary to protect the Philippine Orthopedic Center” and the interest of both the government and the public.