NPF-Landing deal could be cancelled

The Philippine Department of Justice has recommended cancelling the land lease contract between both companies.

Philippines.- The Department of Justice (DOJ) of the Philippines has recommended that the Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF)-Landing lease contract should be cancelled after it conducted a review on its legality. According to the Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, the lease contract was “void from the start” and shouldn’t be completed.

“According to the Secretary of Justice, the contract of Landing with Nayong Pilipino is a Build-Operate-Transfer [BOT] contract disguised as a lease contract. Because it is a BOT project, it should have complied with the BOT law including public bidding,” said presidential spokesman Harry Roque in a news conference on Friday.

“This, of course, rebuts the public advertisement paid for by former officials of the Nayong Pilipino,” he added.

Earlier last week, the former board of the NPF published a letter in Philippine newspapers in which it insisted on the legality of the deal with the casino operator. Landing International plans to build a €1.29 billion integrated resort and theme park to be called Nayon Landing in Pagcor’s Entertainment City, which is set to be completed in 2022.