“They do not construct—they only have their licenses rented out.”
Thus said Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Vice Chairperson Sen. Erwin Tulfo, as he bared the likelihood that contractors’ licenses are being rented out by dummy companies and even by officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“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,” Tulfo said, as he noted the suspicious behavior of Wawao Builders’ CEO Mark Allan Arevalo, who failed to respond properly during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing.
“He was shivering. He was really nervous. It was evident,” Tulfo observed, as he also pointed out that St. Timothy Construction President Maria Roma Rimando failed to articulate her role as the supposed head of the firm.
“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,” Tulfo stressed, while raising suspicions of collusion within the Commission on Audit (COA), citing the proliferation of ghost and substandard projects.
Tulfo pointed out that COA must personally inspect projects on the ground instead of simply relying on documents: “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.”
“Lawmakers should not dip their hands in the national budget,” Sen. Tulfo stressed, adding that the ultimate goal of the Senate investigation is to craft legislation that closes loopholes for corruption.
Meanwhile, the Blue Ribbon vice chair welcomed the appointment of Sec. Vince Dizon as the new head of the DPWH.
“Magandang simula ito para tuluyang malinis ang DPWH sa mga isyu ng korapsyon ang pagkakatalaga kay Sec. Vince Dizon bilang bagong hepe ng DPWH. Anim na buwan pa lang si Sec. Vince sa DOTR, nakita na natin kung paano siya kumilos—pag may reklamo, hindi pinapatagal, agad inaaksyunan. ‘Yan ang klase ng liderato na kailangan natin ngayon,” he said.
Tulfo added: “Sa dami ng lumalabas na impormasyon tungkol sa mga anomalya sa flood control projects, kailangan natin ng kalihim na agresibo at hindi natutulog sa mga ebidensya. Dapat aksyon agad, hindi palusot. Kaya umaasa tayo na sa pamumuno ni Sec. Dizon sa DPWH, matutuldukan na ang sabwatan ng mga kontratista, ilang opisyal ng DPWH, at iba pang public officials.”
