Drilon accuser admits no evidence of overprice on Iloilo Convention Center

MANILA, Philippines—Former provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada admitted during a Senate hearing on Thursday that he has no evidence that the Iloilo Convention Center (ICC) was overpriced, saying he based his computation on industry standard and published sources, like Wikipedia.

“Mr. Chairman, as the Senate President said, I have to admit that right now there’s no evidence because I have no subpoena powers,” Mejorada said when asked by Senator Sonny Angara during the hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee if there was evidence to prove that the ICC, a pet project of Senate President Franklin Drilon, was overpriced.

“But as I said Mr. Chairman, as an investigative journalist, there are paper trails that will lead to conclusion that there was somebody orchestrating all these,” Mejorada added.

The former provincial administrator has filed a complaint at the Office of the Ombudsman against Drilon and other officials over what he alleged was the overpriced construction of the ICC.

Former provincial administrator of Iloilo Manuel Mejorada. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA

In alleging that the project was overpriced, Mejorada said he simply based his computation on industry standard that the price of the project should have been pegged at P30,000 per square meter only.

He said Drilon also used the same figures when he first announced that the ICC would be built in the province.

Pressed further by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Mejorada admitted that he also based his computation on Wikipedia.

“The original information that (was) obtained about the project, which was gathered by various sources during the briefing held during the unveiling for the Iloilo Convention Center at nakalagay din po sa Wikipedia, based on published sources ay 6,400 square meter,” Mejorada said.

“Yun po ang ginamit ko sa pag compute, P679 million to complete phase 1 and 2 ay abot po sa P106, 226 (per) square meter,” he added.

But in his presentation before the committee, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson explained that the estimated total cost of the two-phase project would amount to only close to P63,000 per square meter and not over 100,000 per square meter as claimed by critics.

And after reviewing Phase 2 of the project, Singson said the cost could even go lower to P53,000 per square meter or up to P55,000 per square meter.

Before this, Mejorada, responding to queries by Angara, insisted that there was conspiracy to rig the bidding and cost of the project and certain people had benefitted from it.

But when asked by Angara who had benefitted from the project, Mejorada said: “Hindi ko po malaman ngayon…Hindi ko pa alam basta alam ko po may kumita dito. So this is an issue of accountability…” he said.

(I don’t know at this point. I don’t know. All I know is that someone profited)

“Kung alam natin ang kumita, e pabayaan na lang natin kung hindi natin ma establish?” he asked.

(If we know who benefitted, we will no longer establish that?)