Witness: I got ‘P200,000 allowance’ from ex-Mayor Jejomar Binay to rig bidding

Mario Hechanova. PHOTO by CATHY MIRANDA/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Jejomar Binay was linked anew by a new witness into the alleged anomalous Makati City Hall 2 parking building.

Engineer Mario Hechanova, former head of the General Services Department of Makati City, claimed that as a member of the city’s bidding and awards committee, they were receiving a monthly allowance of P200,000 from Binay when he was still mayor to rig the bidding of projects.

Hechanova made this allegation when Senator Antonio Trillanes IV asked if he had received kickbacks from the parking building project.

“Ni singkong duling wala po akong kinita dyan pero kami naman ho bilang bids and awards committee may natatanggap ho kami kay mayor na allowance buwan, buwan,” Hechanova said, responding to queries by Trillanes.

(I did not get a single centavo but as members of the bids and awards committee we have been getting a monthly allowance from the mayor.)

Asked by Trillanes if he was referring to Vice President Binay, the resource person answered “yes”.

Trillanes then asked how much he was receiving from Binay, Hechanova said: ‘Halos P200,000.”

(Almost P200,000)

Asked again what the allowance was for, Hechanova said: “Siguro po senator para gawin lang namin ang dapat naming gawin, which ako on my part, ayusin naming yung lahat ng bidding namin.”

(Perhaps Senator, so that we should do what we’re expected to do, which on my part, was to fix the bidding.)

Trillanes clarified again if what he meant was to “rig” the bidding, Hechanova said “yes”.

Before this, Hechanova told the committee that there was an “anomaly” in the bidding of the parking building project, which was first constructed when Binay was still the mayor in 2007.

When Trillanes asked if there was an anomaly in the project, Hechanova said: “Meron po.” (There is.)

The engineer said that before the project was bidded out, the city engineer, a certain Morales, called him to his office and told him:

“Mario, gaya ng dati, alam mo na kung sino ang dapat manalo sa project na ito.”

(Mario, like before, you should know who should win in this project.)

He said it was made clear to him that the project should be awarded to Hilmarc’s Construction Corporation. The contractor cornered the five-phase construction of the parking building, which was completed in 2013.

“So sa madaling salita, niluto itong bidding na ito para manalo ang Hilmarc’s, ganun po ba?” Trillanes asked.

(So in other words, this bidding was rigged so that Hilmarc’s can win, is that it?)

“Totoo po yun, niluto po namin,” said Hechanova.

(It’s true. We rigged it)

Hechanova pointed out that the city engineer, who was killed in September, 2012, was considered an alter-ego of then Mayor Binay.

The engineer also claimed that Binay had personally talked to him to follow up on the payment of cakes, which are being given to senior citizens in the city.

“Minsan po pinatawag po nya (Binay) ako sa opisina nya at ang sabi nya sa akin ‘Mario ano bang nangayayari sa payment ng cake ni Nancy,’” he said, referring to Senator Nancy Binay, daughter of the vice president.

(One time, he called me into his office and he told me, ‘Mario, what happened to the payment of Nancy’s cake?’”)

It was not the first time, he said, that the Vice President had called him up to follow up on the payments for cakes.

Hechanova said he suspected that the giveaway cake for senior citizens was the business of the senator.

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