Drilon apologizes to BCDA's Dizon

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon apologized Thursday to Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president Vince Dizon for incorrectly saying that the latter’s father-in-law is the late national artist and architect Francisco “Bobby” Mañosa.

Drilon mentioned in an interview on ANC television that Mañosa, the designer of the controversial P50-million cauldron to be used in the Southeast Asian Games, is related to Dizon, who is in charge of the construction of some of the facilities for the regional games.

In issuing his apology to Dizon, Drilon said: “They are not related. I was wrong in my information. I apologize to Dizon.” 

The senator earlier questioned the price of the cauldron, saying it could have been used to fund the construction of 50 classrooms costing P1 million each.

“Is it proper, is it appropriate, is it valid, is it just that we do away with 50 classrooms to build a P50-million cauldron that we use only once?” Drilon asked during the plenary deliberations on the budget of the BCDA.

“I’m not talking about overpricing. I’m talking about the propriety of doing away with 50 classrooms in order to put up a P50-million cauldron,” he added.

He said the design of the cauldron, which is three meters in diameter, costs P4.48 million while the 50-meter high foundation costs P13.4 million. The total cost of construction is P32 million.

During the hearing, Drilon asked if there was a bidding on who will make the design but he did not get a direct answer. — Amita Legaspi/RSJ, GMA News