Drilon okay with Senate probe of allegedly overpriced Iloilo Center

Senate President Franklin Drilon is open to a Senate investigation on the allegedly overpriced Iloilo Convention Center (ICC) as he expressed confidence that the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) would manage to defend the regularity of the project funded in part by his pork barrel allocations.

 

In a press statement Monday, Drilon said he would never use his position as Senate President “to block or prevent the holding of a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee inquiry into the matter.”

 

“I have nothing to hide. Any inquiry or investigation will validate the facts and figures of this project, and will just show how absurd these vile allegations really are,” he said.

 

But he stressed that it was also proper that those who were responsible for spreading lies regarding the ICC “must be made liable for their actions if their allegations were proven wrong and politically-motivated.”

 

He said the DPWH, which supervised the ICC, could easily disprove the malicious allegations made against the implementation of the project.

 

“I have no involvement in any way in the bidding process for the project. I was nowhere near that process to intervene, let alone nominate anyone to be the contractor of the project,” Drilon.

 

“The project was bid out under the supervision of Public Works Sec. Rogelio Singson, who is widely known for his integrity,” he added.

 

Drilon said Singson had earlier disputed the allegations of overpricing, saying that the project was above-board and strictly followed bidding process.

 

He claimed Singson said the actual price of the ICC was even lower than the approved budget for the contract, after they allowed the adoption of value engineering specifically on structural aspects of the building.

 

He also said Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, in a press statement, had earlier expressed full trust and confidence in the competence and sincerity of all those involved in the ICC Project.

 

"I firmly believe that our actions in support of this project will withstand scrutiny. Notwithstanding this unfortunate allegation of overpricing, we will not allow this distraction to derail our mission to make tourism a force for growth and inclusiveness in this country," Jimenez said in a statement.

 

Drilon said he believed that the public would realize that the issues being hurled against them were mere harassment.

 

"The ICC is a major undertaking by various agencies particularly the DPWH, DOT and TIEZA. To say that Secretary Singson, Secretary Jimenez and I all connived to ruin the integrity of the ICC project is absurd, baseless and malicious," said Drilon.

 

The Senate President said the ICC’s construction was part of a major campaign to improve Iloilo's capacity to host and accommodate international events and conferences, particularly the 2015 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) ministerial meetings.

 

Detained Senator Jinggoy Estrada earlier challenged Blue Ribbon chairman Sen. Teofisto Guingona III to probe the ICC.

 

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago has earlier filed a resolution asking the Senate to investigate the matter. —NB, GMA News