Says RCBC head office cleared transactions in alleged money-laundering case

Tokyo trip was not to escape, but for child's 10th birthday

Denies opening a bogus account of businessman William Go

Belies offering Go P10M to close his account in RCBC

Says she's been getting death threats

MANILA - A Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) branch manager tagged in an $81-million money-laundering transaction on Friday broke down in tears as she vehemently denied any wrongdoing in the country's biggest money-laundering incident.

In an interview on radio dzMM, an emotional RCBC Jupiter branch manager Maia Santos Deguito insisted that she is innocent and had no hand in the alleged funneling of stolen money from Bangladesh Bank to the Philippines.

Businessman William Go, who is also linked to the money laundering case, has accused Deguito of being at the center of the cross-border money transfer by setting up fake accounts.

Go's lawyer, Ramon Esguerra, told reporters that his client's supposed US dollar account in RCBC Jupiter branch was opened without his knowledge and participation using forged signatures.

READ: William Go pins down RCBC branch manager

Deguito denied setting up the alleged bogus bank account of Go. She said the account and its transactions all "went through the process."

"It went through the process. Hindi naman ho ako yung nag-credit niyan diretso. There is a department in the head office that handles the remittance. So, ang daming process na pinagdaanan niyan bago yan nakarating sa branch ko.

"Ako pa nga po yung nagpa-email dun sa assistant ko na mag-email siya dun sa department na yun if I could get an advance copy of that message para malaman ko kung saan galing yung funds and kung ano yung purpose of the funds, because gusto ko rin siya malaman. Wala silang tawag sa akin, wala silang anything. Basta na-credit yung account. Tapos ngayon po ako na lahat yung may kasalanan," she lamented.

Asked if she feels that she had been used by higher officials in the anomalous transactions, she said: "Hindi ko po alam kasi kung yung term na tama. Basta ang alam ko, wala akong kasalanan. Kasi bago dumating yan sa branch, ang daming process mula sa taas bago sa akin."

"Napakalaking pera po niyan, hindi ko naman sila pwedeng utusan lahat dun sa head office na i-credit nila sa account. We, all bankers, know that we have a process to follow. I did not even mandate anyone to credit that, kumbaga outright kinredit nila yan eh," she added.

DENIES OFFERING WILLIAM GO P10M

Deguito also denied approaching Go allegedly to ask him to close the account. She also belied Go's claim that she had offered him P10 million in exchange for closing the account.

"Wala po akong pinapipirma sa kanya," she said. "Wala rin po akong ganung kalaking pera para offer-an ko siya nun."

She, however, stopped short of saying that Go is lying. "Sorry po pero sa Senate ko na lang siya sasagutin," she said.

The Senate is scheduled to hold a hearing on the money-laundering case on Tuesday.

READ: RCBC probes $81-M 'laundered' through Makati branch

NO PLANS OF FLEEING PH

Deguito insisted that she has no plans of fleeing the country.

She lamented why she and her family had to be offloaded from a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight this afternoon, when they only wanted to spend in Tokyo Disneyland the 10th birthday of one of her children.

Deguito said she had even left a letter for the Senate indicating that she would be back in the country by Tuesday, in time for the Senate panel's hearing into the scam.

She added that she only had with her one of her three children.

"Hindi ako okay, I'm not really okay, kasi kasama ko yung anak ko kanina eh, so mahirap. Ang hirap, hindi ko kayang i-explain kung ano yung feeling namin... As a mother, may obligasyon ako eh. Alam ko naman na may mga pinagdadaanan ako, pero hindi ko naman pwedeng isantabi yung obligasyon ko bilang ina," she said.

"Wala pa naman akong case eh, and in fact, hindi naman ako tumatakas talaga," she added.

With her voice wavering, Deguito also said how her child was affected by the whole incident.

"He still doesn't understand. Bakit? Bakit umalis yung eroplano nang di kami kasama? Bakit hindi siya makakapag-Disneyland? Bakit ang daming tao? Bakit ang daming media? Bakit kami kinukuhanan? Walang kamalay-malay yung anak ko eh," Deguito said in tears.

READ: RCBC branch manager offloaded from Tokyo flight

DEATH THREATS

According to Deguito, ever since reports of the money-laundering transactions surfaced, she has also been receiving death threats.

"Napakaliit kong tao, napakaliit kong tao kumpara sa kanila. Empleyado lang ako eh. Kaya di po ako makapagsalita kasi di ko alam, is this going to be taken against me? Anong manyayari sa akin after?"

She expressed apprehension about turning state witness in the case. "Natatakot din ako mag-state witness kasi parang ganun din eh, para rin akong nakakulong, kawawa din yung pamilya ko. So di ko talaga alam kung saan ko ilulugar yung sarili ko ngayon. Basta ang alam ko lang wala akong ginawang masama, wala akong ninakaw, wala akong kinuha. Kung nagamit man ako dito, hindi ko na rin siya naiintindihan."

"Normal, simpleng tao lang ako. Labing-anim na taon ako sa banking industry, napaka-prestigious ng record ko, kahit itanong nila sa mga kliyente ko nang napakatagal. Wala akong ibang iningatan kundi yung pangalan ko, kasi yun lang yung pwede kong ibigay sa mga anak ko. Tapos ngayon nada-drag kami sa ganito na ako mismo di ko na rin naiintindihan," said Deguito.