Angara denies links with flood control projects

MANILA, Philippines — Former senator and now Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Friday denied his involvement with the anomalies surrounding the multibillion-peso infrastructure projects of the government.

“We reject any insinuation [made on Friday] that we were involved in anomalous projects,” Angara said in a statement relayed to reporters. “In my 21 years in government, we have never been involved in corruption.”

At the resumption of the Senate blue ribbon committee’s investigation on the flood control projects, former Public Works undersecretary Roberto Bernardo named Angara, incumbent Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, and former Sen. Grace Poe as lawmakers who allegedly received kickbacks from the supposed infrastructure scheme.

READ: Ex-DPWH Usec Bernardo implicates new names in flood control mess

Bernardo claimed that his accusations against Angara took place when the latter chaired the Senate finance committee, the panel that takes charge of sponsoring the government’s annual budget.

Bernardo said he had worked with Education Undersecretary Trygve Olaivar when the Senate finance panel, then headed by Angara, was preparing the budget.

He alleged that he and Olaivar had transactions and that the latter “received deliveries” that are equivalent to 12 percent of the projects of Angara’s projects. /cb