Bishop urges PGMA: Spare Cordillera from corruption of politicians P350M ‘kickbacks’ for pols on SONA projects

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY – Around P350 million in kickbacks would be had by corrupt, local politicians once the P3.5 billion State of the Nation Address (SONA) projects for the Cordillera would be bid out in the region.

Harry Dominguez, contractor and political figure in Mountain Province bared this considering that regional infrastructure projects would be “split” and bid out.

This, as Catholic Bishop Carlito Cenzon of the Diocese of Baguio joined the snowballing call for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to intervene in the implementation of her SONA projects in the Cordillera so it will be spared from corrupt activities of unscrupulous politicians who are longing for their commissions on the alleged split projects.

The Bishop endorsed a letter of Dominguez, who appealed to the President to have her P3.5 billion SONA projects bid out at the central office of the Department of Public Works and Highways to ensure competent contractors will be the ones to implement infrastructure projects.

He claimed he was privy to what happened to the controversial projects along phase two of the Halsema highway rehabilitation project last year where favored contractors of politicians were reportedly chosen to implement the projects but the same led to the removal and replacement of defective concrete pavements at the instance of Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane.

According to him, politicians in Mountain province, Kalinga and Ifugao will be having at least P350 million in supposed kickbacks once the over P3.5 billion worth of infrastructure projects in the said areas will be bid out as advertised in an alleged split manner.

Dominguez said Mariano Alquiza, regional SPWH director should not be blamed in this case because he is simply succumbing to pressure of governors, congressmen, mayors and some people who claim to have the blessings of Malacanang so that they will be the ones to get a bigger slice of the multi-billion projects.

Bishop Cenzon cited the commitment of the President to rehabilitate the Halsema highway, the Bontoc-Tabuk-Tuguegarao road and other major road networks in the region was envisioned even when she was still a senator but she could not solely act since she had no sufficient powers to do so.

“Now that she has control over the country’s funds,” Cenzon said, “she has already fulfilled her commitment but there is a need for her to prevent an impending crime, which is the supposed corruption of the funds allotted for the projects by no less than her allies in the political arena.

Dominguez claimed the P6.9 million Moscow scandal hounding the Philippine National Police today is nothing compared to the reported P350 million kickbacks of local politicians once the projects will be bid out in the region.

He said it would be better to have one big contractor handling the projects since people will be assured of transparency and quality of work but if the projects will be split in packages of P100 and P200 million, the DPWH will be having serious problems in dealing with too many individuals implementing the flagship projects of the President.

He said he is just concerned about the millions of pesos supposedly going to the improvement of roads in the region that will end up in the hands of abusive and corrupt politicians who will be benefiting from the split bidding of the projects.