Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon has disputed claims that the investigation on anomalous infrastructure projects is centered in the Davao Region area only, noting that all of the issues will be tackled at the proper time.
Ridon, in a press briefing on Tuesday, said he wants to address narratives claiming that the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) has been focused on Davao City and its neighboring towns instead of areas that have experienced floods after the successive cyclones.
According to Ridon, co-chairperson of the House infra committee, the ICI simply started with Bulacan and then moved to Davao Region due to concerns over allegedly anomalous flood control projects in the area.
‘During the height of the successive typhoons, we heard from different sectors a question on why the ICI is investigating different areas in Davao area, Davao City, and refused to check on locales that experienced massive flooding like Cebu City,’ Ridon said in Filipino.
‘It’s very important to clarify why the ICI, the national government, needs to visit these areas [.] because the Bulacan has been finished already, there is a referral made by the [ICI] and we are just waiting on the Ombudsman to file cases against Sandiganbayan for the Bulacan ghost and substandard projects,’ he added.
Ridon said the investigation will proceed simultaneously, but there may be instances where one probe gets wrapped up first. According to the lawmaker, wrapping up one investigation does not mean suspending another probe in a different area.
‘Well, again, all of these would be launched simultaneously, right? All investigations that we are doing today on flood control, on infrastructure corruption will proceed as it should, to the ICI, through the Ombudsman. So this means charges will be filed in the soonest time,’ he said.
‘Does it mean all the other investigations on other matters will stop or will be suspended?’ he asked.
Ridon did not mention who was spreading a narrative that the national government and ICI are fixated on Davao, but Davao 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte as early as September 30 asked why it seems the administration is only enthusiastic in its flood control investigations when the matter involves his home city.
Duterte, son of former president Rodrigo Duterte, said that there are no ghost projects under their watch.
The Davao lawmaker asked the National Bureau of Investigation, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the Philippine National Police, the Office of the Ombudsman, and the National Economic and Development Authority why they seem to lack funds for accommodation and transportation when probing other areas.
Then last Wednesday, Duterte dared ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio to visit Davao and ask residents there if they have experienced flooding – to debunk the latter’s claims of irregularities in the city’s flood control projects.
Duterte made the challenge after Tinio said he and his team found red flags in 80 of 120 flood control projects along Davao River and Matina River.
According to Duterte, Davao City has nothing to hide, saying that the projects that Tinio mentioned have been checked and inspected by both the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Commission on Audit (COA).
Tinio classified the red-flagged projects into five categories: total overlap, double funding, changed location and shortchanging, awarded contracts without details, and awarded contracts not in the General Appropriations Act.
According to the ACT Teachers solon, they red-flagged 54 of the 68 implemented projects along Davao River, which was worth P2.65 billion, while 26 out of the 28 implemented projects near Matina River worth P1.70 billion allegedly showed irregularities as well.
Earlier, Ridon also released his own assessment and classification of several flood control projects in Davao Occidental and Davao City.
Ridon’s list was segregated into four categories: no structure or possibly ghost projects, incomplete, poorly-situated, and unconstructed. There were two projects classified as possible ghost; 10 were labeled incomplete; three were poorly situated; and three were considered unconstructed.