Malacañang on Tuesday ordered Securities and Exchange Commissioner Jesus Martinez Jr. to take a leave of absence after he was accused of protecting Legacy Group owner Celso de los Angeles.

"Martinez should go on leave effective immediately to ensure an impartial investigation by the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) and other investigative bodies on the charges against him," Press Secretary Cerge Remonde told reporters.

Remonde said President Arroyo has also ordered the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) to look into allegations that Martinez received millions of pesos in exchange for protecting Legacy Group owner Celso de los Angeles.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile on Monday told Martinez to submit a resignation letter to President Arroyo after he was accused by Legacy executives Carolina Hiñola and Namnama Pasetes of protecting de los Angeles and of benefiting in two multi-million transactions with the pre-need company.

DOJ asked to work with BSP

Remonde, meanwhile, said that Mrs. Arroyo has asked the Department of Justice to work with the SEC and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) in helping planholders who have been victimized by de los Angeles.

"The President has also ordered the Department of Justice and SEC to work with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in helping Legacy planholders in line with the government policy of consumer protection," Remonde said.

Earlier, PEP Coalition president Philip Piccio told ABS-CBN's morning show, "Umagang Kay Ganda," that he has a list of SEC and BSP officials who may have been involved in the Legacy scam.

"Definitely, I believe there are other officials involved in the scam, not only in SEC, but also in the Bangko Sentral," Piccio said.

He, however, said that the PEP Coalition could not immediately make the list public because they are still in the process of collating evidence.

Awaiting complaints

In a radio dzMM interview, BSP Govenor Amando Tetangco Jr. said they are just waiting for an official complaint before investigating the alleged involvement of the agency’s officials in the Legacy scam.

“We have not received any complaints yet,” Tetangco said, added that he will immediately order an investigation once complaints against the unnamed BSP officials are filed.

Meanwhile, Tetangco said the BSP’s legal team is finalizing more charges to be filed against the Legacy Group for estafa.

The BSP has filed four separate charges against Legacy Group officials, including de los Angeles.

Senate hearing

Former Legacy executives on Monday explained how Martinez—who is in charge of overseeing pre-need firms—benefited in at least two transactions with the Legacy Group. Martinez claimed he only knew of Legacy Group's problems in December 2008, when its rural banks and pre-need firms closed one by one.

Hiñola testified that he met with Martinez on Nov. 9, 2007 in Linden Suites in Ortigas Center to give him a check worth P1,475,000. The check was supposedly issued by the Rural Bank of San Juan—one of the rural banks under the Legacy Group—to pay for the Ford Expedition that the bank supposedly acquired from the commissioner.

“What I know is that while the [Ford] Expedition was booked in the account of Rural Bank of San Juan, it was Mr. de los Angeles who personally used the same,” Hiñola said.

Another transaction involved a house and lot in Parañaque City worth P3.2 million. Hiñola said the Legacy Group paid for the house but ownership was transferred to de los Angeles's son, and later to Martinez's son.

Hiñola said Martinez himself called him on the phone to follow up the payment of Legacy to a certain Michael Lirio, the supposed owner of the house and lot. Hiñola said she was told that the house was the commissioner's gift to his son. “Legacy ended up buying the said house and lot from Mr. Lirio. Ownership of this house and lot was later transferred to Jesus III," she said. -- reports from Nadia Trinidad, ABS-CBN News and radio dzMM