What was supposed to be a cordial even intimate relation among friends has escalated into heated verbal exchanges bordering on threats of death between contending parties. This developed as the war of words between the group of Jane Censoria Cajes and that of her former soul mates Ferdinand Manuel De Erio and Leo Odtohan, both lifestyle editors of the two leading papers in Bohol, was seen as the end of a long and intimate friendship cultivated all through the years as the young Cajes was thrust to the highest elected position of the Sangguniang Kabataan. Cajes was the object of a criminal complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman in Manila filed by de Erio and Odtuhan after they were alarmed of the SK federation president's unyielding stance to render a financial statement of her administration.

But the young Cajes was unfazed.

In a short press statement, she said in the past days, “various fabricated, orchestrated and libelous accusations have been hurled against me not only as SK national federation president but also against my personal private life not necessarily related to my office. Text messages, which threatened my life and that of the immediate members of my family, were likewise received from texters whose cell numbers I have securely saved. In due time, I will unmask the real person who is the financier and behind all these unfounded, directed and malicious accusations, who is deliberately using persons with questionable records”.

“These accusers with questionable records claim they have filed a letter-complaint against me before the Ombudsman but I have yet to receive an official copy of the alleged complaint. While these accusers, under the law, have the right to file even an unfounded complaint, I have also the same equal right to file the necessary criminal cases against them should their accusations, this early, are already untrue and malicious. Until then, I hope I will be fairly and objectively judged by the public for as the legal maxim says: “A person is presumed innocent until proven guilty “. The SK federation president was reacting to questions raised by De Ereo and Odtuhan to the Ombudsman whether she squandered a total of P93.6 million SK fund during her term. Cajes, the daughter of then 2 nd district congressman and now Mayor Roberto Cajes of Trinidad strongly denied the accusations. She is an out-going SK provincial president after the October 25, 2010 elections or after a new qualified SK leaders is qualified. As an SK federated provincial president, Cajes sits as an ex-officio member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Bohol and the first lady SK national president and made her a commissioner of the National Youth Commission. In a ten-page letter-complaint received by the Ombudsman Manila on October 29, 2010, De Erio and Udtohan enumerated nine charges against in running the affairs of the SK national leadership.

De Erio and Udtohan said the charges against Cajes were “engaging in multi-million-peso procurement of goods and services without bidding”; “lack of transparency in the finances of the SK federation in the total amount of PhP93.6 million allegedly remained unaccounted for”; “failure on her part to present financial statements”; “over-spending on newspapers advertisements to the tune of PhP3 million”; “over-spending of tarpaulin printing at PhP1 million”; “repeated acts of executing false statements regarding the existence of financial statements and failure to act upon the nation-wide clamor for transparency”; “lavish display of wealth”; “and failure to act upon a written request for public documents.” Earlier, The Junior Graftwath Unit (JGU) of Cebu filed before the Ombudsman Visayas similar complaint accusing the beleaguered SK national president of extravagant lifestyle, saying she should be the “role model” of her flock in the SK. She is also accused of lack of transparency, overpricing of SK registration fees, and purchase of luxury cars. In Junior Graftwatch Unit petition filed and received by the Ombudsman on April 23, 2010, JGU alleged that Jane Censoria Cajes “has been spending and cashing out thousands of pesos for Vicky Belo's Clinic every quarter of the year and buying high end items for luxury. As a role model of the youth she should live within her means.”

The JGU's complaint quoted SK members as questioning “her lavish lifestyle as public servant,” urging the Ombudsman to investigate Cajes “to give justice to the SK and the youth in the country.” JGU said Cajes purchased and acquired “in just a matter of two years” two sports utility vehicles (SUV) – Nissan Patrol and Izusu Altiera --- registered “under her name.” The Nissan Patrol with his father on board met a traffic accident last December 2009 along the highway of barangay Oy, Loboc, Bohol. The Izusu Altiera is being used by Jane Cajes in Manila, the complaint said. On the issue of SK registration fees, JGU also blamed on Cajes of negligence of duty for failure to render financial report to the SK national executive board after the holding of SK national congresses on 2008 and 2009. Under her watch, Jane Cajes caused the imposition and collection of registration fees in the amounts of PhP8,500 and PhP9,500 for the holding of 2008 SK national congress in Waterfront Hotel in Cebu and in Subic Convention Center in 2009, respectively.

The petitioners said that the registration fees were supposedly be collected at a maximum of PhP1,200 per participant as allowed by Department of Budget and Management. “It only means that there's an overpricing of the registration fees of more than 100%,” said the graft-watch body JGU also claimed Cajes did not give “a single document” or present an accounting of P10 million financial assistance from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the SK national executive board. Earlier, Cajes said that the first tranche of P20million, intended for the “Sama-sama Para Sa Kalikasan” environmental program, is still “intact” and the second release of P10 million was already accounted for.

Cajes reply

As the shooting war of words escalated Cajes, in a radio interview said that a Financial Statement Report was presented during the Sangguniang Kabataan National Executive Board meeting last March 26-27, 2010 at Bayview Hotel, Manila. Citing DILG Memorndum circulars, Cajes said that registration fee per participant was allowed under the law, hence there's no overpayment of registration fees. “Compared to other leagues, SK has a justifiable registration considering the content and venue of their activities,” she said. Cajes denied she owns the Isuzu Alterra but admitted that she has in her name the Nissan Patrol, by which she is already the  4 th owner. She paid it monthly from her salary. As to her alleged lavish lifestyle, Cajes has this to say: “ First and foremost, I am earning. I receive a justifiable monthly salary, which I spend for my studies and my own personal expenses” But “ There is no truth that I spend thousands of pesos at Vicky Belo medical clinic because I only go there for Facial, to treat pimple breakouts due to oily skin and stress from work and school.

But she honestly admits that “I have received expensive gifts and they are from suitors and from my ex-boyfriend who is a businessman and a son of an Ilocos Sur politician. In addition, I do not think there is something wrong in that aspect because I am single.” Junior Graftwatch Unit-Cebu charges is “purely a tool of harassment against the SK Bohol/national fed president,” said her statement. Cajes said earlier that there are no truths to the allegations cited in the alleged complaint letter, no over-pricing was made on registration fees in the two national congresses of the SK.  As a matter of fact, the two national congresses held were duly endorsed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).  The DILG being the authority who issued a DILG Memorandum Circular endorsed the said activities which memo also stipulated the registration fees.  With due respect and due recognition to the authority of the DILG, the SKNF is confident that the fees are legitimate. She said in her press statement she is “living a public life being a public servant and a public figure hides no skeleton in her closet.  Her life is practically an open book, for which reason, she can easily be a target of malicious issues formulated by people who are desperately seeking for attention or people who are being used by her parents' political contenders to attack the Cajeses thru her.” Amidst all these issues, Jane Cajes maintains that the public must be vigilant as to who is telling the truth and who are lying. (RVO)