Ako Bicol Representative Batocabe questions probe that could implicate party mate Co

By: 11 years ago

Ako Bicol Rep. Rodel Batocabe Photo from congress.gov.ph

MANILA, Philippines – A party-list lawmaker has questioned a House committee probe on the last minute spending spree of lawmakers under the Arroyo administration.

Ako Bicol Representative Rodel Batocabe made the statement about the probe that could possibly implicate his party mate and fellow lawmaker Ako Bicol Rep. Christopher Co.

The House committee on good government and accountability is investigating the release of at least P10.2 billion in infrastructure funds that form part of the P69.7 billion congressional insertions spent in the last months of Arroyo.

The infrastructure funds disbursed to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) were spent for 1,074 projects, but were questionable because the releases were made despite having no source of revenues, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson said during the hearing. This goes against the provisions of the General Appropriations Act, he added.

Among the top 10 contractors part of the spending spree is Hi-Tone Construction and Development Corporation, Singson confirmed in a text message.

Representative Co is the owner of the company, and was even president in 2010 before he ran for Congress. In a report, Co said he is no longer affiliated in the company when he ran as Ako Bicol party-list representative.

During the hearing, Batocabe questioned why there is a probe in the first place since there is no evidence from the DPWH that would show these projects were irregularly implemented.

“With respect to the implementation of the bidding process, there is a regular presumption of regularity. No contradictory evidence would show that these projects were not implemented,” Batocabe told the House panel.

Batocabe’s defensive statement compelled committee chairman Oscar Rodriguez to assure the panel that there is no “witch hunting” in the hearing.

“We are not accusing anyone here… We are doing this probe because this is a job assigned to us that we need to complete,” Rodriguez said.

INQUIRER.net is still trying to reach Co on the matter. But Batocabe, when asked if he would agree on the probe in case it implicates Co, merely dodged the question.

“As per Secretary Singson, the report shows that the project involved were duly completed. Until and unless there is evidence to the contrary, the documents submitted by the DPWH are deemed regular,” Batocabe said in a text message.

“Until such a time we received findings of any anomalies or irregularities, the findings of the regularity still stands,” the party-list solon added.

Singson had told the panel that while the hearing is conducting a probe on the unaccounted funds, documents showed that the funds were properly implemented.

What could be the problem, Singson said, is that some districts received a larger share than others.

The officials and their respective districts who received the larger share of the infrastructure funds were: former and incumbent Representatives Ferdinand Martin Romualdez of Leyte’s first district (P735 million), Exequiel Javier of Antique (P636 million), Alfrancis Bichara of Albay’s second district (P633 million), Elandro Jesus Madrona of Romblon (P609 million), Glenn Chong of Biliran (P570 million), Proceso Alcala of Quezon’s second district (P560 million), and Aurelio M. Gonzales Jr. of Pampanga’s third district that also happened to be Arroyo’s hometown (P502.5 million).

Among the allies of the Aquino administration who received the pork spree were Lorenzo Tañada III of Quezon’s fourth district (P220 million), Proceso Alcala of Quezon’s second district (P560 million) and Neptali Gonzales of Mandaluyong City (P120 million). Tañada is the spokesman of the ruling Liberal Party, and Alcala is agriculture secretary while Gonzales continues to be the Mandaluyong congressional representative.