CT Leoncio owner not aware of deals with Aremar Construction

NAGA CITY, Camarines Sur, Philippines — The owner of CT Leoncio Construction and Trading was “detached” from its dealings with Aremar Construction Corp., the firm owned by the in-laws of Budget Chief Benjamin Diokno.

At a public hearing of the House rules panel here, Consolacion Leoncio, the owner of the Bulacan-based firm that bagged 36 projects worth P2.1 billion in Sorsogon and Catanduanes in 2018, according to House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr., denied personally knowing the Hamor family or favoring them over other companies.

Leoncio said her liaison, Francis Clemente, was in charge of submitting their bids, and that she did not check all the documents he prepared.

“Kasi ang talagang nakakilala diyan ay yung liaison ko na si Francis Clemente. Lumapit lang ang Aremar at sinabi na kung pwede mag-JV (joint venture) kami. Ako naman, ang talagang kausap ko diyan ay yung liaison ko po. Kaya sabi ko wala namang masama, kung makakatulong ako para lumaki ang sales nila, ‘yun lang po,” Leoncio told the panel.

(The person who knows them is my liaison, Francis Clemente. Aremar approached us to propose a joint venture. I was talking only to our liaison. I said there is no harm if I can help them with their sales.)

The panel then moved to summon Clemente.

Aremar’s director is Maria Minez Hamor, the daughter of Casiguran town Mayor Edward Hamor, who is also the biggest shareholder of the company. Hamor is the husband of Sorsogon Vice Gov. Ester Hamor, the mother of Diokno’s son-in-law, Romeo Sicat Jr.

READ: Diokno in-laws’ firm got P551-M projects

“We found out that CT Leoncio’s major partner for its Bicol projects is Aremar Construction. Five of its blue-chip projects are in partnership with Aremar Construction. In fact, almost 1/3 of C.T.’s total projects in Catanduanes and Sorsogon, P550M out of P1.5B, found their way to Aremar Construction,” Andaya said.

READ: Andaya: Contractors are being used as fronts for Aremar

But Andaya also believes that Leoncio was “detached” from her company’s operations with Aremar.

“Kitang-kita naman po sa galaw nya na ginagamit lang ang kanyang lisensya at nangungumisyon naman siya. Halata naman na hindi niya alam ang status ng projects na napasukan niya at hindi rin niya alam lahat ng sinubmit nila ay xerox at iisa lang ‘di ko nga alam pano lumusot ito sa bids and awards committee,” he told reporters in an interview after the hearing.

(It is obvious that they are only using her license and that she is earning a commission from it.  It is also apparent that she is not aware of the status of the projects she has entered into and she did not know that all the documents they submitted were only photocopies of the same document. I do not even know how this passed the scrutiny of the bids and awards committee.)

He, nonetheless, said Leoncio could still be liable.

Leoncio’s lawyer, Rafael Madrid, reiterated that they were not aware of Diokno’s connection with Aremar. /ee