PROSECUTOR RESADO FACES PERJURY CASE FOR LYING IN CONGRESSIONAL HEARING

PRESS STATEMENT OF CONG. ROILO GOLEZ

PROSECUTOR RESADO FACES PERJURY CASE FOR LYING IN CONGRESSIONAL HEARING

DOJ Prosecutor John Resado faces a perjury case for lying to Congress in his testimony under oath during last week’s hearing of the Committee on Dangerous Drugs on the alleged PDEA-DOJ attempted bribery case.

During the hearing, Congressman Antonio Cuenco asked Resado a direct question: Is it true that you were dismissed as a legal officer in the Philippine Tourism Authority?

Resado replied: No, that is not true. He said that the PTA ordered his dismissal but this was reversed by the Civil Service Commission and he was reinstated.

Resado lied as evidenced by Civil Service Commission Resolution No. 070455 dated March 7, 2007 signed by CSC Chairman Karina Constantino David, Commissioner Cesar Buenaflor and Commissioner Mary Ann Fernandez-Mendoza, attested by Commission Secretary Judith Chicano, which resolution states: “WHEREFORE, the appeal of then Philippine Tourism Authority General Manager Nixon T. Kua is hereby GRANTED. Accordingly, the Order dated April 17, 2002 of the Civil Service Commission – National Capital Region 9CSC-NCR) ordering the reinstatement of Atty. John R. Resado to his former position as Senior Corporate Attorney of the PTA with payment of back salaries and other monetary benefits is hereby REVERSED.”
Resado, in obvious bad faith and with intent to deceive the Committee, did not mention that it was only the CSC-NCR that ordered his reinstatement, but said reinstatement was appealed to the higher Commission on Civil Service itself which reversed the CSC-NCR order and affirmed Resado’s dismissal by the PTA.

The case stemmed from what was perceived by then PTA General Manager Nixon T. Kua that Resado as Senior Corporate Secretary did not properly perform his duties as PTA lawyer, resulting in PTA losing the case and incurring damages.

Then PTA GM Kua issued a termination order dated October 10, 2001, as follows:
“… the very requirement, demand, character, and nature of your duties and responsibilities as Senior Corporate Attorney in which you were given an original appointment thereto last July 25, 2001, and the fiduciary nature of attorney-client relationship between you and the Authority, undersigned, with much regret is constrained to terminate your probationary employment and drop you from the service effective immediately upon receipt hereof for loss of trust and confidence, unsatisfactory conduct and want of capacity.”

The subsequent hiring of Resado by the DOJ to handle the very sensitive duties of a state prosecutor puts to question the selection and screening process of the DOJ. Per testimony of Resado, he was hired by the DOJ in 2005, already during the term of Sec. Raul Gonzalez.

DOJ Sec. Gonzalez must also explain how a previously dismissed government corporate attorney ended up handling a very sensitive prosecution assignment in the DOJ.