Drilon on raps over alleged overpriced Iloilo center: Baseless, malicious

By AMITA LEGASPI and AMANDA FERNANDEZ, GMA News

Published October 29, 2014 2:30pm

(Updated 5:02 p.m.) Senate President Franklin Drilon on Wednesday said the criminal charges filed against him in connection with the alleged overpricing in the construction of a convention center project in Iloilo has no basis and was done with malice.

A report on GMA News TV's Balitanghali quoted Drilon as saying that although he admitted that part of the amount used to fund the ICC was from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (pork barrel fund), he was not personally involved in the construction.

In an interview with reporters. Drilon said he allocated P100 million from the Disbursement Acceleration Program for the project and P200 million from his PDAF. Other sources of fund were P200 from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority and another P200 million from the Department of Public Works and Highways.

At the same time, Drilon described as ridiculous the claim that the construction of Iloilo Convention Center was overpriced by P488 million.

He said the total budget for the four-storey project with a total area of about 11,900 square meters was P700 million.

“So if you deduct P480 million from P700 million, we come up with P220 million or approximately P18,000 per square meter. Isn’t that ridiculous? How can you put up a convention center that accommodates 2,500 people with 11,900 square meters (with that budget),” he said in a separate television interview.

He added that there was nothing questionable with the project being partly financed by the Disbursement Acceleration Program, which was struck down as partially unconstitutional in July by the Supreme Court.

“What is important here is that the funds are properly used and can be accounted for up to the last peso. The matter of the legality of the DAP is before the Supreme Court,” Drilon said.

He said the design of the convention center was made by renowned architect William Coscolluela who was nominated by Megaworld which donated the property.

“Wala po akong kinalaman tungkol sa bidding. Wala po akong ininominate na isang bidder, sino mang bidder, ang bidding po ay sinupervise ng opisina ng DPWH Secretary and supervised by Secretary (Rogelio) Singson. It is obvious that this complaint has absolutely no basis,” he said.

Former consultant

Drilon said the complainant, former Iloilo Provincial Administrator Manuel Mejorada Jr., was his former consultant whom he sacked for using his [Drilon's] social media platform to criticize other politicians without his consent.

“Siya ang nag-ooperate ng aking Facebook account noon, at may mga napansin ako na inilagay doon na mapanira na ina-attribute sa akin, pero hindi naman totoo. Yung mga politikong kalaban niya, inaatake niya gamit ang aking Facebook account, para tirahin niya,” the Senate President said.

He added that he had already filed libel charges against Mejorada regarding the ICC issue.

“Matagal ko na siyang sinampahan ng libel case for all his malicious lies. Well noon pa, matagal na niyang isinisigaw ito, kaya sinampahan ko siya ng libel. That is not because of what he filed today, that is because of the same allegations that he made up in his blog,” he said.

He believed Mejorada was just trying to get back at him for firing him and for not helping him get a government post and other favors the latter asked.

“Hiniling po niya sa akin noon na irekomenda siya bilang Press Undersecretary sa Malakanyang, o maging Regional Director sa TESDA, eh ayaw po sa kanya nung mga kinauuukulan. Hiningi po niya dati na tulungan ko din siya duon sa mga libel cases na ifinile dati sa kanya ng dati niyang boss na si Boboy Syjuco. Hindi po ko nagawa iyan, dahil wala naman akong kapangyarihan over diyan sa mga taong iyan,” he said.

Drilon was confident the case will not prosper as it was the second one filed by Mejorada. “Well, pangalawa na iyang kaso na finile niya. I am not bothered at all.”

Plunder, malversation raps

Earlier in the day, Mejorada filed before the Office of the Ombudsman criminal charges against Drilon, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., and Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson.

Mejorada said he filed charges against the respondents for plunder, malversation of public funds, dishonesty and grave misconduct, and violation of Sections 3(e) and 3(g) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Practices Act.

Aside from the three, Mejorada also filed charges against the following:

Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) chief operating officer Mark Lapid,
DPWH undersecretaries Jaime Pacanan and Romeo Momo,
DPWH regional director Edilberto Tayao,
DPWH Bids and Awards Committee chairman Marilyn Celiz,
W.V. Coscoluella and Associates, represented by President William Coscolluela, and
Hilmarcs Construction Co., represented by its president, Engr. Efren Canlas.

Mejorada claimed the respondents conspired to rig the bidding of the controversial construction project.

However, the report also quoted the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as denying the allegations, saying that the construction of the ICC was not overpriced.

Singson, in a text message to GMA News Online on Wednesday, said he would first need to see the details of the allegations before making a comment.

For its part, the Department of Tourism said it will leave it to the DPWH to address the accusations, according to the same report.

Meanwhile, the report said Hilmarc's Construction Co. has not yet issued a statement, saying authorities would need to meet and discuss the issue first.

‘Brains behind anomaly’

When asked why he decided to go with Drilon as the primary respondent in the case, Mejorada, the Senate President's former ally, said: "Dahil siya po ang nag-umpisa nito. Siya ang namuno, siya ang nag-conceive ng project noong April 2012, at siya rin po ang nagbigay ng initial fund na P200 million galing sa kanyang PDAF, at nadagdagan ng at least P100 million mula sa DAP [Disbursement Acceleration Program]. "

He added that Drilon, as a senator, should not have allowed the construction cost to go up.

Earlier, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago sought an investigation into the alleged anomalous involvement of Hilmarc’s Construction Corporation in building the ICC.

Drilon was earlier quoted as saying he welcomed the investigation as he denied any involvement in the project except providing funds for it.

Hilmarc’s is the same contractor of the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall Building II, which is currently under investigation by the Senate blue ribbon committee. Vice President Jejomar Binay, his son Makati Mayor Junjun Binay and several other Makati officials are facing plunder and graft charges over the issue. —KG/NB/RSJ GMA News

Tags: iloiloconventioncenter, franklindrilon