Laguna First District Rep. Ann Matibag on Saturday, Sept. 19, said her office will welcome any evidence of anomalous projects against her district if there were any, after Davao City Rep. Paolo ‘Pulong’ Duterte claimed to have documented videos.
‘If Congressman Duterte has documents or videos showing possible irregularities in projects in my districts, he should submit them, together with the specific project details, to the proper authorities,’ she stated in a statement.
Her pronouncements followed Duterte’s assertion that his office is in possession of videos showing alleged anomalous projects in San Pedro, Laguna.
He said that the contractors of some of those projects were Pacifico ‘Curlee’ Discaya and Cezarah ‘Sarah’ Discaya, both of whom were linked to several government infrastructure projects under investigations.
However, Matibag said, ‘My office will cooperate fully in securing the records and in any lawful inquiry,’
The Laguna First District Rep. stressed that she had no position in ‘directing, conducting, or speaking’ for any investigations of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
She maintained that she and her spouse, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag, have separate public duties and responsibilities.
Any concerns on the NBI’s probe must be directed to the agency, she added.
‘Director Melvin Matibag likewise has no role in my congressional office. We are husband and wife, but our public responsibilities are separate,’ she stressed.
She then emphasized that the same standards must be applied to anyone, further calling to allow proper investigative procedures to take course to reveal the truth.
‘My position is simple: apply the same standards everywhere, examine the official records, and follow the evidence. I will neither shield anyone found responsible for wrongdoing nor pass judgement without facts and due process,’ she said.
The NBI previously stressed that it is probing alleged flood control irregularities not only in Davao City, but also in other areas such as in Cebu, Bulacan, and Pampanga.