In a simple contract signing ceremony, the partnership was sealed between IWG Country Manager Lars B. Wittig and Pacific Ace President Virginia S. Dio on Thursday, February 16 at the latter’s headquarters in the Freeport’s Central Business District.

“It’s a match made in heaven”, according to Dio citing IWG’s established global leadership in hybrid work solutions and workspace brands and Pacific Ace’s Green Building advocacy to lessen the negative impact of carbon footprint to the environment and to human health.

Under the contract, IWG and Pacific Ace will utilize the 2nd floor of The Gardens by Pacific Ace and will commence operations of the shared workplace on August 2023 with a number of co-working desks, meeting rooms, and private offices.

IWG’s unrivaled network coverage includes 3,500 locations across more than 120 countries and 83% of Fortune 500 companies amongst their growing customer base.

“Through our brands including Regus, Spaces, HQ and Signature, we help millions of people and their businesses to work more productively. We do so by providing the world’s leading hybrid work platform with professional, inspiring and collaborative workspaces and digital services all available via the IWG application,” Wittig said.

“Subic has been ready for this business concept for at least 8 years and we’re now ready for Subic.”, Wittig said, “adding that Subic is a strategic location that they have targetted for expansion since the opening of Regus in Clark Freeport Zone in 2015.” And since the business is well proven in Clark, Subic is a logical extension, he said.

According to Renato W. Lee III, Senior Deputy Administrator for Business and Investment, he is certain that the new business concept in the Freeport is set to bring business to a whole new level.

Also present in the contract signing were SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Regulatory Group Amethya L. Koval who is also Ecology Head of SBMA, and several Freeport locators’ representatives. (MIKA ARCENAL)

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SUBIC BAY – Timothy Desmond, former CEO and Chairman of the Board of Ocean Adventure’s registered company Subic Bay Marine Exploratorium, Inc. (SBMEI), is on the run again, a fugitive wanted by the law.

Judge Ludovino Joseph Augusto Tobias, Jr. of the 4th Municipal Trial Court (MTC) of Bagac, Bataan has issued a Warrant for Desmond’s arrest, this time, to serve his sentence for having “been found guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of Violation of Art. 172 (Falsification) in Relation to Article 171, Par. 4 of the RPC (Revised Penal Code).”

The judgment has become final and executory meting Desmond up to three years, six months and 21 days in prison.

“Every litigation must come to an end once a judgment becomes final, executory and unappealable,” Judge Tobias said in his June 8, 2020 order “for the execution of the judgment dated 22 October 2015.”

The warrant has been endorsed to officers of the law in known places where he holds residence or office, particularly the Philippine National Police (PNP) Station Commander of Morong, Bataan, Director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Bataan PNP Provincial Commander, and the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

However, an attempt by the Bataan PNP to arrest Desmond at his residence at The Hill Residences, as well as in his office at Ocean Adventure, both in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, on June 22 failed as he has reportedly already gone into hiding.

TWO DECADES

Desmond’s travails has been going on for the past 2 decades, emanating from the September 14, 2002 Special Stockholder’s Meeting where businesswoman Virginia S. Dio was ousted as a member of the Board of Directors, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of the company, which the court ruled as irregular and in bad faith.

Desmond, a U.S. citizen, then SBMEI CEO and Board Chairman, and one Ruby Ong Biere, then operations manager and acting corporate secretary, the court ruled, were found to have conspired in making untruthful statements in the minutes of the meeting.

“The pervading motive of accused and his allies in the board of directors for the holding of the special stockholder’s meeting is ubiquitous in the entire proceedings that transpired therein,” then 4th Municipal Trial Court Judge Rolando S. Tungol said, “They simply acted in bad faith… they have to remove the complainant from her positions no matter how. They disregarded their by-laws from the time of sending of notice up to the time of voting for the removal of complainant.”

Prior to the conviction, Desmond already had two (2) standing warrants of arrest issued by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 72 of Olongapo City, one for the non-bailable offense of “Syndicated Estafa” and the other for “Simple Estafa”, cases filed also by Dio who pumped-in around $2.150 M capital to Ocean Adventure with the condition of being appointed as Treasurer and Chief Financial officer while her counsel Winston Ginez as Corporate Secretary.

Apparently fearing an impending arrest for the Syndicated Estafa arrest warrant, Desmond did not appear at the promulgation where he was convicted of “Falsification” which is now the object of Judge Tobias’ execution of judgment order and arrest warrant to serve his sentence.

After almost two years on the run dodging authorities, Desmond surrendered to the NBI National Capital Region (NCR) Office on August 2016 where he was detained for ten (10) months before being transferred to the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa on June 9, 2017 where he spent the next 16 months.

He was granted provisional liberty and released on orders of Acting Presiding Judge Maricar P. Dela Cruz-Buban of MTC of Bagac who allowed him to post bail. Thereafter, Desmond appealed his conviction to the Regional Trial Court of Balanga which was, however, denied. Desmond elevated the denial of his appeal to the Court of Appeals which also denied the same. Hence, the judgment of conviction against him became final and executory, and which is now the object of the Warrant of Arrest issued by Judge Tobias, Jr. for the service of his sentence.

Early this year, on March 12, another warrant of arrest against Desmond was issued by Judge Ana Florence S. Cuntapay-Oamil of Balanga Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) for Perjury.

Authorities are presently hot on Desmond’s trail, monitoring airports and seaports to prevent him from getting out of the country, arrest and have him put behind bars to serve his sentence. (VVV)