MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Franklin Drilon dismissed as “malicious” and “baseless” the plunder and graft charges filed against him over the allegedly overpriced construction of the Iloilo Convention Center as he turned the table against his accuser.
“Malisyoso, walang basehan. Siya po ay tinanggal ko bilang consultant, at sinampahan ko po siya ng libel dahil sa malisyoso at kasinungalingan niya sa lahat ng ito,” Drilon told reporters on Wednesday when asked about the complaint filed against him by former provincial administrator, Manuel Mejorada.
(It’s malicious and baseless. I fired him as a consultant and filed a libel case against him because he has been spreading malice and lies.)
Perspective of Iloilo Convention Center in Brgy. Airport, Mandurriao,Iloilo City. PHOTO COURTESY OF ILOILOBUSINESS PARK
He said he terminated Mejorada as his consultant after the latter allegedly used his Facebook account to attack other people.
After terminating him, Drilon said Mejorada came to him again, asking for a job in Malacañang.
“Hiniling po niya sa akin noon na irekomenda siya bilang Press Undersecretary sa Malacañang, o maging Regional Director sa Tesda (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority), eh ayaw po sa kanya nu’ng mga kinauuukulan,” said the Senate leader.
(He wanted me to recommend him as the Palace press undersecretary or as Tesda regional director, but the authorities weren’t fond of him.)
“Hiningi po niya dati na tulungan ko din siya duon sa mga libel cases na ifinile dati sa kanya ng dati niyang boss na si Boboy Syjuco. Hindi ko po nagawa iyan, dahil wala naman akong kapangyarihan over diyan sa mga taong iyan,” he said, referring to former congressman and Tesda chief Augusto Syjuco.
(He also requested that I help him in the libel cases that were filed against him by his former boss Boboy Syjuco. I wasn’t able to it because I have no power over those people.)
Asked in a television interview if that was Mejorada’s motive in filing the complaint against him, Drilon said:
“There’s no other reason except these are malicious moves and malicious lies that he has been peddling around for the last several years.”
He said he had already filed a libel case against his accuser even before this new complaint was lodged against him at the Office of the Ombudsman.
Drilon said it would be ridiculous to say that the project, which cost P700 million, was overpriced by P488 million as it would mean that the construction of the convention would only cost P212 million.
“Yaan po ay 11,600 square meters of an international convention center. Samakatuwid, ang sinasabi niya, ang project per square meter ay around P18,000 lang which is quite ridiculous. It just shows how ridiculous his claims are,” he said.
(That convention center is 11,600 square meters. It means that he is saying that the project is worth around P18,000 only which is quite ridiculous. It just shows how ridiculous his claims are.)
RELATED STORIES
Raps filed vs Drilon, Jimenez, Singson over ‘overpriced’ convention center
Youth solon claims Drilon’s Iloilo building project overpriced