May 7, 2012
Source: Sun Star Manila
THE Aquino administration has unearthed another multi-billion peso questionable contract that the previous government entered into two days before former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo stepped down from power.
President Benigno Aquino III said Saturday that the Arroyo government signed the P11-billion contract for the “Tulay ng Pangulo” project last June 28, 2010.
Aquino assumed the presidency on the noon of June 30 of the same year.
“Mayroon hong programa ‘Tulay ng Pangulo’ ang pangalan, okay. Nagpagawa o magpapa[gawa] ng mga apatnaraang tulay. Maganda ho, ano, archipelago tayo; marami tayong mga ilog, may sapa, kailangan natin talaga ‘yung tulay, (The program aims to build 400 bridges. We need these bridges because we are in an archipelago…)” he said.
But Aquino said that it seemed not right to order first the bridge before determining the place and condition where it should be placed. He also noted that the contract was signed on June 28, 2010.
“Bakit ho importante ‘yon? June 30 ho kasi ng tanghali dahil sa inyo ako na po ‘yung pangulo, eh. Pero one day bago sila umalis pumipirma pa ng kontrata, bilyon-bilyon. Eh, ang dulo doon, may pakinabang ba tayo? Hindi eh. So may utang tayo, ‘di bale sana kung ‘yung tulay magagamit kaagad, mapapakinabangan ng ating mga kababayan, pero hahanapan mo pa nga ng lugar, eh pero tumatakbo na ‘yung metro kung saan kailangan nating ibalik—tapos marami pa nga pong ibang problema,” he explained.
The President failed to mention the amount of money that was already disbursed for the project, which the government needs to start paying.
Aquino earlier vowed that there will be no more leakage on the use of government’s funds under his administration.
Aquino was in Negros Occidental Saturday for the oath-taking of the new members of the Liberal Party in the province. (SDR/Sunnex)
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RELATED STORY:
No pardon for GMA if convicted – Noy
By Aurea Calica
The Philippine Star
The Philippine Star
Manila, Philippines – President Aquino is not likely to pardon former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo if she would be convicted of any crime.
“I think my constituents would not agree with my pardoning her, and I act only on their wishes,” Aquino said yesterday in an interview with CNN’s Talk Asia as part of its special weeklong coverage, “Eye on the Philippines.”
Arroyo is facing charges of electoral sabotage and graft before various courts for alleged involvement in election fraud and anomalous transactions while president.
In his interview, Aquino said the Philippines is winning the fight against corruption and people must be made accountable for what they did to stop the problem.
“We are winning but we are not stopping the efforts. We have already cases pending, even against my predecessor… We are trying to expedite the cases so that there is certainty that there is conviction and jail time for people who have violated laws. The problem was, nobody was charged, let alone convicted previously, and that sustained all of the endemic corruption that we have had to deal with,” Aquino said.
The President also reiterated that the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos will not be given a hero’s burial, given the atrocities he committed against the Filipino people.
“Not under my watch,” he said, adding that he is ready to face the consequences of his decision.
Asked if Marcos ruined the country, the President said: “Yes, significantly,” citing the economic decline that the Philippines suffered when the former president took over the country’s helm.
Aquino said he is also supportive of the Reproductive Health bill, admitting that the Catholic Church’s opposition is delaying its passage.
But he said the debates were ongoing and that “the Church doesn’t make the laws in this country.” although it has some influence.
Aquino also discussed his programs for the economy and said he is hopeful that in four years, the Philippines would have made significant headway in its development programs and projects.
During his initial months in office, Aquino conceded that on hindsight, he could have handled some things better, such as the hostage crisis at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila in 2010 where eight Hong Kong tourists were killed.
“But given the situation, you know not to relive the moment, but you had a guy who… was not a terrorist, he wasn’t there to inflict terror on anybody. In fact, before we even started negotiating with him, there were two hostages that had gotten released. And up until the early evening, it seemed to be just a question of meeting minimum demands and it would have been settled peacefully,” Aquino said.
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