Tadeco says it has nothing to do with Binag

Tagum Agricultural Development Company, Inc. announced on Wednesday that Cathy Binag, the partner of Davao del Norte Rep. Antonio “Tonyboy” Floirendo Jr., is “not authorized to speak for and in behalf of TADECO and the Floirendo family.”

“Mr. Vicente R. Floirendo, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the TADECO, would like to make it clear that Ms. Cathy Binag is not in any way connected with TADECO or any of its affiliates in any manner,” said TADECO in a press statement.

It was previously reported that Binag last week said the conflict between Alvarez and Floirendo, started “with me and the Speaker’s girlfriend, Jennifer Maliwanag Vicencio.”

Binag said she “had an altercation” with Vicencio during the opening of the Masskara Festival in Bacolod City last October 2016 which “spiraled out of control that led to one thing to another.”

She added that it would be a “petty” if Alvarez’ filing of graft charges against Floirendo is tangled with a “girls’ spat”.

TADECO said all her statements, whether verbal, written or expressed in any other form, are entirely her own opinions and are not sanctioned by TADECO, its affiliates and the Floirendo family.

Tadeco is one of the world’s biggest plantations propagating Cavendish bananas for export.

Earlier, Alvarez sought a probe on his colleague Davao del Norte Rep. “Tonyboy” Floirendo Jr. in connection with an alleged questionable land deal of the government and the banana plantation.

This after Alvarez filed a complaint before the Ombudsman against Floirendo for allegedly having alleged unconstitutional “business interest” in a land deal of his banana firm Tagum Agricultural Development Inc. (Tadeco) while he was a congressman.

On Monday, in response to Alvarez’s request for legal opinion on the matter, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II announced Department of Justice will create a fact-finding team to probe the land lease agreement between the Davao Penal Colony (DAPECOL) and TADECO.