MANILA - Businessman William Go on Thursday admitted that he had a meeting with Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) Jupiter branch manager Maia Deguito twice on February 23, contrary to what was written in his affidavit.

Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, pressed Go for more information and made him admit that he met with Dequito twice: once in the morning of February 23, and another in the afternoon.

Go claimed he forgot about the second meeting and he was not able to include this detail in his affidavit.

"We met in the morning, and then after lunch, tumawag siya, sabi ko, later na lang nasa meeting ako. Tapos I text her, magkita tayo sa Rockwell ng hapon. So pagkita namin tinanong ko, anong nangyari, what happened, anong nangyari sa pinagagawa ko na linisin mo na yan," Go said about his meeting with Deguito.

Go's alleged peso account

It was also revealed during the Senate inquiry that a peso account, supposedly belonging to Go and which was opened in 2014, was not dormant.

Atty. Ma. Cecilia Estavillo, head of the Legal and Regulatory Affairs of RCBC, said there were numerous transactions recorded in Go's account.

She also said that the checks deposited into the account were payable to Centurytex Trading, Go's company.

"That was very confusing to us. So we met with Mr. Go earlier this month and we asked him about the peso account," Estavillo said. She added that Go has denied knowing the account's existence.

Centurytex checks for rediscounting

According to Estavillo, their internal investigation revealed that Go asked Allan Peñalosa, manager of Eastwest Bank Burgos Circle branch, for help in rediscounting postdated checks deposited into Go's account in RCBC Jupiter branch.

Peñalosa, for his part, admitted knowing Go, adding that he has been helping him personally, and not as part of Eastwest Bank.

"For the record, I was helping Mr. Go, and you can confirm with Mr. Go na he asked for my help dated back 2014, he asked for my help to have his checks rediscounted," he said.

"So, with this, I also have my bank account in RCBC Jupiter. As we all know, Maia is my friend. Nagkasabay po kami sa Eastwest Bank from 2011 to 2013. Having said that, lumapit po sa akin si Mr. Go, sabi ko sige, tutulungan po kita," Peñalosa also said.

He also explained that he forwarded Go's checks to Deguito, without any knowledge as to how these will be deposited.

"Yung mga checks na 'yun, as my banker, binigay ko po 'yung mga checks na 'yun for Maia, for him. For her na siya na po 'yung bahala na kung ano man 'yung, kung saan niya ideposito or paano niya idedeposito po," Peñalosa said.

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