MANILA, Philippines – Nabulgar sa Senado ang maanomalyang gawain sa Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) kung saan ipinapaarkila umano sa mga dummy corporation ang lisensya ng contractor upang makakuha ng proyekto sa gobyerno.
Sa pahayag, sinabi ni Senador Erwin Tulfo na malakas ang posibilidad na inaarkila ang lisensya ng mga kontraktor — hindi lamang ng dummy corporations kundi maging ng ilang opisyal ng DPWH.
“They do not construct — they only have their licenses rented out,” ani Tulfo.
“Based on the information I received, there is what they call ‘in-house construction.’ The DPWH borrows or even buys the license of a contractor, then proceeds with the project. In some cases, they do not build at all,” dagdag pa ng bagitong senador.
Sinabi rin ng mambabatas na kapansin-pansin ang kahina-hinalang kilos ni Wawao Builders CEO Mark Allan Arevalo, na nabigong maayos na tugunan ang mga katanungan ng mga senador sa Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing.
“He was shivering. He was really nervous. It was evident,” ayon kay Tulfo.
Kinuwestiyon din niya si St. Timothy Construction President Maria Roma Rimando, na umano’y hindi malinaw na naipaliwanag ang kanyang papel bilang presidente ng kumpanya.
“Would you believe that they are the real owners? They looked more like staff than billion-peso contractors. If you owned billions worth of projects, you should at least be able to express yourself properly. But they’re not like that,” giit niya.
Ipinalutang din ng senador ang hinala ng posibleng sabwatan ng Commission on Audit (COA), batay sa maraming insidente ng ghost at substandard projects.
Aniya, dapat sinusuri ng COA ang aktuwal na proyekto at hindi nakasandig lamang sa dokumento.
“It is COA’s job to provide a true report. Right now, it’s clear they are not doing enough to flag substandard flood-control projects. Have they seen them? If yes, they should have reported them,” aniya.
“Lawmakers should not dip their hands in the national budget,” giit pa niya. Ernie Reyes
