Drilon faces plunder complaint for allegedly 'substandard' Iloilo court building

A former Iloilo congressman has filed a plunder complaint against Senate President Franklin Drilon for alleged irregularities in the construction of the Iloilo Hall of Justice in 1992.

 

In the 28-page plunder complaint he submitted last week to the Office of the Ombudsman, former Iloilo Rep. Augusto Syjuco Jr. accused Drilon--who served as Justice chief from 1992 to 1995--of allegedly facilitating and benefiting from the supposedly "substandard" infrastructure project.

 

"While everyone is mum over the irregularities and anomalies that happened in the construction and retrofitting of the Iloilo Hall of Justice, I now take this stand to bring to the attention of the Office of the Ombudsman the unlawful and indictable acts committed by Franklin M. Drilon," Syjuco said in his complaint.

 

The former lawmaker further said that "Drilon connived and conspired several John Does and Jane Does" to approve the project without bidding and subsequently use substandard materials for the court building.

 

Drilon, however, dismissed Syjuco's complaint as a form of "malicious political harassment."

 

"Malisyoso ito at walang basehan, nakalulungkot na binibigyan ng publicity. Kitang-kita, on its face, na political harassment by someone who is a discredited politician rejected by the Ilonggos last election," Drilon said in a separate radio interview.

 

The Senate leader likewise pointed out that Syjuco himself is currently facing a graft case before the Sandiganbayan for alleged irregular disbursement of funds when the former congressman was director general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in 2007. — Andreo Calonzo/RSJ, GMA News