Senate blue ribbon panel to summon contractors absent in flood control hearing

The Senate blue ribbon committee on Tuesday ordered the issuance of subpoenas against private contractors that failed to attend the initial public hearing into the supposed anomalous flood control projects in the country. 

This came after Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa made a motion for the issuance of subpoena against absent invited contractors to require them to attend the next hearing. 

Panel chairperson Senator Rodante Marcoleta approved the motion after no senator objected.

Senate blue ribbon oversight office management director general Atty. Rodolfo Noel Quimbo noted that invitations were submitted to 15 contractors, but only 11 replied and seven are represented in the ongoing hearing.

“Seven out of 15 are represented today in this hearing? And they just simply replied but did not send representatives? I just hope this is not a sign of disinterest on their part because this meeting is called precisely to get to the bottom of this problem,” Marcoleta said. 

Committee vice chairperson Erwin Tulfo then made a manifestation, saying that the contractors that will be summoned to the Senate have to come up with a reasonable answer why they were absent. 

“Para hong ginagago itong committee natin—na may sakit, nagbakasyon na, may mga prior schedule. Ano mas importante—prior schedule o itong imbestigasyon na ‘to? Because P544 billion ang pinag-uusapan natin, not a small change, Mr. Chair,” Tulfo said. 

(They are making a fool out of this committee by saying that they are sick, already on vacation, and have a prior schedule. What is more important, their prior schedule or this investigation? Because we’re talking about P544 billion here and not a small change, Mr. Chair.) 

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. earlier disclosed that 20% of the total P545 billion budget of flood control projects was awarded to only 15 contractors. Five of these 15 contractors, he said, have projects in almost all regions nationwide. 

These contractors are:

1. Legacy Construction Corporation
2. Alpha & Omega Gen. Contractor & Development Corp.
3. St. Timothy Construction Corporation
4. QM Builders
5. EGB Construction Corporation
6. Topnotch Catalyst Builders Inc.
7. Centerways Construction and Development Inc.
8. Sunwest, Inc.
9. Hi-Tone Construction & Development Corp.
10. Triple 8 Construction & Supply, Inc.
11. Royal Crown Monarch Construction & Supplies Corp.
12. Wawao Builders
13. MG Samidan Construction
14. L.R. Tiqui Builders, Inc.
15. Road Edge Trading & Development Services

Of them, only the Legacy Construction Corporation, QM Builders, EGB Construction Corporation, Centerways Construction and Development Inc., Triple 8 Construction & Supply, Inc., MG Samidan Construction, and Road Edge Trading & Development Services were represented in the first hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. 

In his opening speech, Marcoleta said that the root of the flood control issue “boils down to the rampant corruption entangled within the core of our government.”

“The magnitude of this issue cannot be understated. Funds are wasted over questionable projects. Lives and properties are lost due to failures in flood control. Enough is enough,” he said. —KG, GMA Integrated News