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The eight lawmakers appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night landed on the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) list allegedly due to various anomalies, including ghost projects in Occidental Mindoro and a new highway that collapsed in Quezon province.
The president cited the PACC report on alleged corruption in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) when he marked the names of the legislators and their “misdeeds.”
The report linked Occidental Mindoro representative Josephine Ramirez-Sato to ghost projects in her district, Quezon representative Angelina Tan to an anomalous road project, Quezon City representative Alfred Vargas to extortion, Misamis Occidental representative Henry Oaminal and Isabela’s representative Alyssa Sheena Tan to corrupt practices, North Samar representative Paul Daza to demand bribes, and ACT-CIS party list representative Eric Yap to bid rigging.
Also included were Bataan representative Geraldine Roman, as well as former Ifugao representative Teodoro Baguilat Jr., who allegedly received bribes from contractors for construction projects in Ifugao.
The president said Ramírez-Sato’s waiter was allegedly the district engineer who has been in office for 10 years.
Congresswoman Angelina Tan, who represents the fourth district of Quezon, reportedly was involved in the construction of a national highway that was destroyed before it could be used.
“A newly built highway that has not been open for public use was already broken at the start of the storm. It seems irreparable, ”Duterte said.
Meanwhile, the president said Vargas is demanding a one-time registration fee of P1 million “in addition to the 10 and 12 percent SOP before the project can be awarded to the contractor.”
Oaminal and Representative Alyssa Sheena Tan allegedly owned construction companies that cornered several projects in Misamis Occidental and Isabela.
According to Duterte, Daza allegedly determines the winning bidders in his district and receives up to 25 percent of bribes from contractors.
Yap, who is also Benguet’s legislative officer, was allegedly involved in bid rigging through his agent. He chooses the district engineer so he can control the award of projects, the president said.
Duterte, however, said his release of the names on the PACC list is not an accusation “that you are guilty of something.”
“It just came out in the PACC investigation (This came out in the PACC investigation),” he noted.
The president, however, ordered the relief of the district engineers allegedly involved in corruption and ordered them to report immediately to DPWH Secretary Mark Villar.
Denials
Lawmakers denied any involvement in anomalies and promised to cooperate in any investigation to clear their names.
“I can say categorically that I am not involved in any anomaly or corrupt activity,” Oaminal said.
He clarified that HSO Construction Corp. was founded in 1988 before entering public service. He said he sold his shares in the company when he was elected a congressman.
Yap also denied being involved in DPWH tenders.
“I am not aware of how the tender is going on and not once in my entire life have I ever been involved in a DPWH tender (not once in my life have I been involved in a tender with DPWH),” said.
He beat up PACC commissioner Greco Belgica for “witch hunts”.
Quezon representative Angelina Tan said the PACC report “was not only malicious but also damaging.”
“My conscience is clean. I simply did what my constituents expect of me and completed this project. If there is someone who should be investigated, it is the agency in charge of carrying out the full implementation of the project, “he said.
The Quezon lawmaker admitted that the highway project was derailed due to the pandemic and massive flooding in the region. The legislator explained that “although the road is not yet paved, a section of it is already being used by motorists as an alternative route to avoid heavy traffic in the town of Gumaca.”
Tan promised to cooperate with investigations to clarify the problem.
Representative Angelina Tan’s husband, Ronnel, is the director of DPWH in Region I (Ilocos Region). He faces a complaint to the Ombudsman’s Office for his alleged lavish lifestyle, which included an incident in which he allegedly threw between P2 million and P3 million for guests during a party.
She had denied these accusations saying it was mere harassment by her political rivals.
Without company
Isabela’s representative, Alyssa Sheena Tan, denied owning construction companies that pocketed DPWH projects.
“I have never owned a construction company. I do not own shares in any construction company, ”said the Isabela legislator.
Meanwhile, Roman said she was surprised by her inclusion on the list.
“Public service has never been a profitable endeavor for me or my family, whose good name is held in high esteem in our district,” Roman said.
“I am comforted by the fact that the President clarified that there is no verified information in this regard. I am open to any investigation to establish the truth on this matter and I am confident that my honor will be vindicated. My conscience is clear, “he added.
Vargas said his inclusion on the list was the result of the politicking of his rivals.
“I am sure they will acquit me. I am willing to submit to an investigation by the corresponding authority, “he said.
Ramírez-Sato also denied the “unfounded accusations” that were leveled against her.
“I was shocked and devastated that this accusation is unfair and totally unfounded. This accusation of phantom projects was a political issue that was thrown at me during the last elections of 2019, ”he said.
Daza was also “shocked and surprised” by his inclusion on the list.
“It arose from a malicious complaint made to the PACC by my local political opponents,” he said.
With reports from DIVINA NOVA JOY DELA CRUZ
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