Politicians are politicians. They will grandstand if the situation fits.Β
The senate inquiry of the multi-billion flood control projects that was conducted yesterday by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee is no exception, for the “epal” and “grandstanding” acts.Β
Topping the list is committee chair Sen. Rodante Marcoleta who literally reminded Cebu based contractor Allan Quirante of QM Builders on who is the committee’s main man of the probe by blurting, “May hawak akong martilyo rito.”Β
This is the same Rodante Marcoleta who was then a partylist congressman who was implicated in the Janet Napoles PDAF scandal during the administration of the late President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino lll.Β
Marcoleta allegedly funneled P15MΒ of his pork barrel funds to a dubious NGO which Napoles established.Β
Then there is senate majority leader Joel Villanueva who aside from being implicated also in the so-called “Napolist” was also discovered to have received a P20M campaign fund donation from San Jose Builders, Inc., a known contractor, during his 2022 senatorial campaign.Β
Villanueva effectively deflected his self by asking point blank DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan during the hearing whether he lobbied for the flood control projects in his home province of Bulacan which the latter answered in the negative but his implication in the Napoles PDAF scandal and his acceptance of election campaign fund are both telling.Β
Another ex-officio member of the committeeΒ Senator Jinggoy Estrada who opened up the alleged “ghost projects” in Villanueva’s province has also been implicated in the Napoles pork controversy who even had a conviction himself of “bribery” which is on appeal.Β
Jinggoy, the Senate President Pro Tempore had his Sandiganbayan conviction last January 2024 and so his meat against the two contractors in Bulacan is just like, “The kettle calling the pot black.”Β
Another prominent member of the committee is Sen. Bong Go, one of its Vice Chairperson whose father and half-brother are known contractors in Davao who themselves have flood control projects in the said region.Β
The Go’s have CLTG Builders, owned by the senator’s father, Desiderio Go, (ironically CLTG are the initials of the senator whose name is “Christopher Lawrence Tesoro Go”) and Alfego Builders and Supply owned by the senator’s half brother, Alfredo Go. The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) reported as early as 2018 that both contractors with links to the senator were awarded P4.6B of projects in the Davao region.Β
Then surprising it maybe, as exposed by Amlig Antique Alliance, there are seven DPWH road projects in Antique that crisscrosses along the Central Panay Mountain Range (CPMR), situated within the turf ofΒ Senator Loren Legarda as she used to be the congresswoman of the province.Β
A known pro-environment advocate, the project has been tagged as ecologically disastrous, the seemingly passive stance of Sen. Legarda about the P2.6B project has been a puzzle to many AntiqueΓ±os.Β
The project is undertaken by the equally controversial Sunwest Inc., the contractor company linked to Ako Bicol partylist congressman Zaldy Co, who used to be the chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations.
Be that as it may however as Sunwest has been exposed by PBBM as among the Top 15 contractors that cornered the P100B flood control projects since 2022, the silence of Legarda bewildered many.Β
Her younger brother, Rep. Antonio Agapito “AA” Legarda, is the incumbent Antique congresdman who succeeded her in 2022, so whoever did the “budget insertion” for the road project situated in the high altitude ridges that may trigger flashfloods (Go forbid) left the tongues of many wagging.Β
To borrow the word of Senator Marcoleta, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committtee members is just the “microcosm”, in this case of Filipino politicians, who among them then is the Saint?Β If at all, the committee is just “showboating”, doing “epalism to the max,” makes sense? For comments or reaction please text or call 09434823385 or email at tonton_antogop@yahoo.com
π· ctto
