Citing seven courses of action, including libel, 2005 Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee chairman and Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose Cojuangco Jr. filed a formal complaint against Philippine Sports Commission chairman Harry Angping, a PSC commissioner, an officer of the Commission on Audit and several others before the Makati Regional Trial Court.

Cojuangco’s legal counsel Vicente B. Chuidian formally filed the complaint yesterday afternoon which sought the payment of a total P10 million in actual, compensatory, exemplary damages and attorney’s fees.

The civil action for tort and damages stemmed from the alleged sudden, unexpected and unlawful oppression by the respondents demanding the refund within seven days the amount of P73, 243, 524.86 covering expenses in the 2005 Manila Southeast Asian Games disallowed by the COA. Failure to comply, the PSC demand warned, would result in the filing of criminal and civil charges against the Philsoc.

Philsoc and Cojuangco, however maintained that the entire government contribution of P300 million had been fully accounted for by auditors from the Sycip, Gorres and Velayo auditing firm which supervised the books of the Philsoc.

“All of the documents were turned over to the COA relative to the P300 million government funds including receipts. It is quite irritating that Angping and the PSC will now threaten us with a lawsuit four years after the event,” Cojuangco said.

Cojuangco pointed out that the Philippines even received a citation from the International Olympic Committee for running a successful SEAG on a shoestring budget.

“Even the international community was aware that we had budgetary constraints in 2005 so it is preposterous for Angping and his cohorts to even suggest that there were irregularities in the handling of the limited resources of the 2005 SEAG.”