Drilon sued for plunder

OVERPRICED? An artist’s sketch shows a perspective of the P488-million Iloilo Convention Center now being built in Barangay Airport in Mandurriao District, Iloilo City. A former aide of Senate President Franklin Drilon has filed a plunder complaint against the senator, claiming that the project funded by pork barrel funds from Congress and Malacañang was overpriced. PHOTO COURTESY OF ILOILO BUSINESS PARK

MANILA, Philippines–“Malicious and baseless,” says Senate President Franklin Drilon.

Drilon was charged on Wednesday in the Office of the Ombudsman with plunder in connection with the allegedly overpriced P488-million Iloilo Convention Center (ICC) financed with pork barrel funds from Congress and Malacañang.

Manuel Mejorada, former provincial administrator of Iloilo, filed the complaint, saying Drilon’s pet project, which is being undertaken by the controversial Hilmarc’s Construction Corp. (HCC), was a “high-level” conspiracy engineered by the senator “to build an avenue for corruption.”

Mejorada said funds for the project came from Drilon’s allocation under the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and Malacañang’s government savings impounding mechanism called Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP). The Supreme Court has declared both facilities unconstitutional.

Drilon dismissed as “ridiculous” the charge by Mejorada, a former aide. The Senate President said he did not take active part in the bidding of the project in Iloilo City being rushed for completion in time to host Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in September next year.

On June 27, President Aquino, accompanied by Drilon and Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson, inspected the center, which has a sail-like design representing the Iloilo Paraw Regatta, on a 1.7-hectare sprawl at Iloilo Business Park.

Aquino said he was impressed with the facility and likened it to the renowned Sydney Opera House.

Reacting to Mejorada’s charge, Drilon told reporters on Wednesday that the project was funded with P200 million from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority and P500 million from the national budget.

Renowned architect William Coscolluela designed the center on the recommendation of Megaworld Corp., which donated the land.

“I have never nominated any bidder. The bidding was supervised by the Office of the [Department of Public Works and Highways] secretary and supervised by Secretary Singson. It is obvious that this complaint has absolutely no basis,” Drilon said.

Libel suits

Drilon has sued Mejorada for libel over alleged malicious claims. He doubted the charges in the Ombudsman would prosper.

PLUNDER COMPLAINT Manuel Mejorada (right), former provincial administrator of Iloilo, shows the plunder complaint he filed in the Office of the Ombudsman against Senate President Franklin Drilon (left). NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

“He claims it’s overpriced by P488 million, so that will leave around P220 million. That international convention center is 11,600 square meters. In effect, he is saying it is P18,000 per square meter, which is quite ridiculous. It just shows how ridiculous his claims are,” he said.

“He used to operate my Facebook account, and I noticed that he was posting messages that were critical of others and that were attributed to me. He was attacking his political enemies, and he was using my Facebook account,” Drilon said.

Before their falling out, Drilon said Mejorada requested that he recommend him to the post of press undersecretary or regional director of the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority. The concerned agencies objected to this, he said.

Drilon said Mejorada also asked for his help when he was sued for libel, but he was unable to extend help since he had no legal power to do this.

Fund from DAP

In his complaint, Mejorada included as respondents Singson, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., and six other government officials and private individuals.

Efren Canlas, president of HCC, contractor of the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall Building II, was likewise included in the charge.

The complaint said that aside from plunder, the respondents violated the Government Procurement Reform Act and were liable for dishonesty and grave misconduct.

Mejorada said the respondents “confederated and conspired with one another, willfully with intent to defraud the government.”

“The construction of the Iloilo Convention Center is only a disguise for the proponent, respondent Franklin M. Drilon, to build an avenue for corruption with public funds coming from the DAP, which the Supreme Court had declared illegal and unconstitutional,” he said.

Once completed, the cost of the ICC, which has a total floor area of 6,400 square meters, would have amounted to P106,226 per square meter, Mejorada said. In contrast, he said, SM Mall of Asia’s SMX Convention Center on Macapagal Avenue, Pasay City, was constructed at a cost of P26,400 per square meter.

Computed at the industry standard of P30,000 per square meter, the ICC should not be more than P192 million, he said.

It’s his baby

Mejorada also compared the ICC’s cost with the P500-million, 12-story Richmonde Hotel of Megaworld, which is complete with world-class furniture and fixtures.

He insisted that Drilon should be held criminally liable since the senator pushed for ICC’s funding from his PDAF and the DAP.

“It is his baby. Hence, respondent Drilon must be held accountable for the loss of P488 million from the coffers of the government,” Mejorada said.

“He is presumed to have harvested the fruits of the anomalous expenditures way above what can be considered reasonable for the construction of the project,” he added.

Mejorada claimed that the contract was awarded to Hilmarc’s illegally as the bidding was “infirm, invalid and violative of the procurement law and its implementing rules and regulations.”

“The conceptualization, procurement and implementation of this project ooze with dishonesty and grave misconduct,” he said.

Former Iloilo City Rep. Augusto Syjuco Jr. has also filed plunder charges against President Aquino, Drilon, Jimenez, Singson and other public officials for the alleged overpriced construction of the ICC.

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