By: Modesto P. Sa-onoy
THE news had lately mentioned an SGV Report that relates to the allegedly missing P380 million from the coffers of Vallacar Transit Inc. This is a curious document because the opposing camps in the Yanson family feud are citing it to pin blame on one another on who got or is responsible for that P380 million.
Since the two camps are referring to the same report, would it not be best that they, or at least one camp, make that report public? It is unfair for them to be citing the same document in their propaganda campaign and yet refusing to reveal its contents and leaving people to speculate. Anyway, that’s the thrill.
Since they have cited that document to sway public opinion in their favor, I believe the public has the right to know, otherwise the public will be confused about who is telling the truth. In fact, each camp accuses the other of telling lies. Both cannot be right. I believe the first to reveal the findings of the audit firm will probably be telling the truth.
The SGV report is surely well done considering its reputation. For SGV, they cannot reveal their findings because that must be “FYE Only” of the sponsors but it is not Top Secret that will imperil the company’s life. In fact, it will show there were mistakes and corrections can be initiated. It will be like a confessional, the cleansing of the soul.
Olivia Yanson demanded that Celina Yanson tell the truth and the daughter asked her mother to do likewise. Only the document commissioned by the company on the initiative of Celina can clear the air.
Will one take the bold step and reveal the contents?
Probably not but we hope they will. On the other hand, their refusal to reveal leaves us no choice but to find ways to get some facts in that report. Our readers deserve it; the tele-Ceres is getting suspenseful. The characters are talking in riddles even in their accusations and media releases without presenting convincing proof. The contents of the SGV report, I believe will help us along the way.
Their refusal to make the SGV report public, however, does not mean there are no other ways to find out who is telling the truth, not the whole truth but what the available data say.
I recall a documentary film about World War II. In each building or barrack, there is a notice or warning, “Walls have ears.” There are “Deep Throats” as well.
An investigation means going through documents and interviewing not one but several people, particularly in the MPO. And people talk not just to one but to several before this conflict erupted into the public domain. Documents are also handled by several people and there is always a paper trail. Moreover, a lot of things can be inferred. Court documents are gold mines of information.
Modern offices, including VTI, conduct business in a “paperless” environment. However, the “paperless” transaction does not mean there is no record; in fact, these records can easily be transported to an email address or into cyberspace. If the Pentagon and White House computers could be hacked, other offices can be penetrated likewise.
Now then, let’s consider this P380 million that is described as missing, unaccounted or lost. Is that true? This amount of money cannot just disappear in a short period of time. I recall a film where a Kung Fu fighter quoted a Chinese adage. It said, “If it was lost and found, it was not lost at all. If it was lost and never found, then it is lost.”
So, was the P380 million lost, like it dropped into the ocean and never recovered, or did it fall into quicksand and can no longer be retrieved?
Both parties, our column included, continue to refer to this money as missing or unaccounted. What the Yanson family is looking for is the person who lost it and are pointing at each other to explain and thus trace its whereabouts.
The fact, however, that the family or at least the six siblings asked SGV to investigate means that they all suspected that the money was not lost but rather stolen and they wanted to know who stole it. But why are they talking obliquely?
Let’s continue tomorrow.
