Thursday, October 24, 2013

Drilon, Abads slapped with plunder on DAP funds vs Corona

By Arlie O. Calalo
The Daily Tribune
TIME OF RECKONING FOR NOY’S LP ALLIES
Franklin-Drilon.3Karma appears to be swooping down on Senate President Franklin Drilon and Department of Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad, as well as his wife, incumbent Batanes Rep. Henedina Abad, as they now face numerous plunder complaints filed against them again.
The latest batch of plunder complaints against them was filed yesterday before the Office of the Ombudsman, coming from a former Iloilo congressman and director of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).
Former Rep. Augusto Syjuco, in his plunder complaint filed before the anti-graft office, claimed that Drilon had used government funds through the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) to allegedly bribe senators to vote for a guilty verdict during the impeachment trial of then Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona.
The plunder suit against the Abads and Drilon also concerns the alleged questionable release of funds for a project in the province.
Syjuco claimed that Senate president Drilon and the Abads had violated provisions under the anti-graft laws and Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
As a result, he urged Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales to immediately order their preventive suspension and “conduct the necessary action on the matter leading to the immediate filing of criminal and administrative cases against them.”
It is, however, doubted that the plunder complaints against Drilon and the Abads will ever reach the Sandiganbayan, as they are close allies of President Aquino.
The Ombudsman, Conchita Carpio-Morales is an appointee of Aquino and does not have a track record of elevating cases against the allies of the President and focuses instead on complaints against the foes of Aquino, immediately finding “probable cause” against them and elevates the same to the anti-graft court, despite a lack of strong evidence.
On the first complaint, Syjuco alleged that Drilon gave P70-million in Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) for the Iloilo Esplanade I project.
The complaint read: “Adding altogether the construction of the retaining wall, slope protection, landscaping and amenities to complete the Iloilo Esplanade I is overwhelmingly incredible. This P70-million Iloilo Esplanade I project is absolutely a windfall to the pocket of respondent (Sen.) Franklin Magtunao Drilon.”
While the Esplanade 1 project had been furnished and equipped with lighting, interlocking block pavement and landscaped with ornamental plants, another P13.5 million from the senator’s PDAF was allocated for its improvement on August 2012, the ex-Tesda chief said.
“Obviously, the hasty allocation of another P13-million from the PDAF of respondent Drilon under the guise of the esplanade project is a scam to fund a non-existent project,” Syjuco said.
In a separate complaint, Syjuco said Drilon together with the Abads should be held criminally liable for the questionable release of P752.5 million to Abad’s wife, Rep. Henedina Razon-Abad, which was 10 times her regular pork barrel allocation for the lone district of Batanes.
IThe former Iloilo lawmaker claimed that the Budget chief provided for the release of about P1-billion which Drilon allegedly used to bribe the senators during the impeachment trial of Corona.
The complaint further read: “He (Drilon) used government funds through DAP to bribe, induce and corrupt lawmakers who, by reason of their office, can ensure the guilty verdict in the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona and such other crimes or offenses as may be warranted in the premises.”
This is not the first time Drilon was slapped with plunder charges.
In September, Syjuco filed a plunder complaint against him for alleged irregularities in the construction of the Iloilo Hall of Justice in 1992.
Earlier this month, he filed another plunder complaint against Drilon for an allegedly overpriced walkway near the Iloilo River.
In the two separate complaints, Syjuco asked the Ombudsman to prosecute the three respondents for plunder, violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. He also seeks their preventive suspension.
Drilon was accused by Syjuco for approving the release of P752.5-million to Mrs. Abad.
The former Tesda chief said it was released upon the approval of Drilon who was then chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
Sometime last month, Drilon was charged with plunder, dishonesty, malversation of public funds and grave misconduct by Drilon’s former consultant, Manuel Mejorada for allegedly pocketing P60.5 million from the anomalous purchase of a 16.2-hectare property in Iloilo seven years ago and for allegedly receiving kickbacks from the 1992 construction of the Iloilo Justice Hall wherein substandard materials and equipment were used to build a structurally weak and dangerous building, the complaint stated.
Reacting to the reports on the plunder complaint by his former consultant, Drilon denied all the allegations, saying there is no truth to these charges and that “They manipulated the facts.”
In accusing Drilon of plunder, Mejorada alleged that the senator has knowledge in the overpriced purchase of land for a relocation site in Iloilo City using his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel.
In the case of the three storey Iloilo Hall of Justice Drilon was accused of having used his PDAF, or pork barrel in the alleged anomalous and poor construction of the three-story Iloilo Hall of Justice using P200 million of his pork in 1991, at a time he was still the Justice Secretary of the late President Corazon Aquino.
But Syjuco who lodged the criminal complaint described the offense as a continuing crime, as Drilon is allegedly trying to hide the building’s structural defects by spending another P50 million for repairs using his PDAF allocations for 2012.
In a 28-page complaint, Syjuco said the Iloilo Hall of Justice was erected by contractor Kanlaon Builders Inc., which merely rented its license, without the conduct of a public bidding.
“During the one-year construction of the Iloilo Hall of Justice, it was marred by numerous irregularities, inconsistencies and anomalies. The apex to these irregularities, inconsistencies and anomalies resulted in the resignation of architect Fred Jurilla and project engineer Joven Dechangco Jr. before the project was completed, mainly for reasons that the contractor and sub-contractors repeatedly and manifestly deviated from following the design and specified construction methods despite frequent objections made by the designer,” Syjuco said.
“Among the violations observed by Jurilla was the use of smaller reinforcing bars. He questioned the post tensioning process used by the contractor which has undermined the structural integrity of the Iloilo Hall of Justice, specifically the post tensioning works of the building’s foundations and beam supports,” he noted.
“The contractor used a one-bagger concrete mixer during the installation of the girders and beams which are linked to the building’s foundations. The use of a one-bagger mixer has affected the consistency and uniformity in the mixing and pouring of concrete, which in turn compromised the integrity of the foundation and supports. The rough finish of the beams is also an indication that the concrete was poured in different times and mixes,” Syjuco added.
Syjuco also said that proof of the questionable structural integrity and defects of the building were revealed after a 5.7-magnitude earthquake hit Iloilo in February 2012.
He claimed that no other building was badly damaged except for the Iloilo Hall of Justice, which was why the regional trial courts (RTC), offices of the clerks of court, Philippine Mediation Center, Iloilo Provincial Prosecutor’s Office, Iloilo City Prosecutor’s Office, and the Public Attorney’s Office decided to vacate the premises.
He alleged that Drilon is now trying to fix the structure by spending another P50 million of his PDAF for repair, strengthening and bar retrofitting despite objections by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Iloilo Chapter, the New Hall of Justice Movement, judges, stakeholders and the public in general, reports at that time of plunder complaints filed said.
Meanwhile, another controversy appears to be hounding Drilon as there are questions on why he was in South Korea with Aquino during the trip.
The Palace mouthpieces were quick to defend Drilon, with Deputy presidential speaker Abigail Valte claiming that Drilon went to Korea with the President to give his thanks to that country for the Iloilo river project.
Drilon was part of the official delegation to the state visit in South Korea because he would like to personally extend his appreciation for a river project funded by the Korean government in his hometown, the Palace official on Friday said.
Drilon was the proponent of the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project in Iloilo which has a counterpart funding from the Korean government.
“As a sign of appreciation, Senator Drilon became part of the delegation to convey the appreciation, the help that was extended,” Valte said in a media briefing.
Critics have questioned Drilon’s presence in the delegation for the two-day trip, as it is rare that a lawmaker has joined Aquino’s state visits.
In 2011, the Philippine and Korean governments signed a memorandum of understanding for the implementation of the P13-billion Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project-Stage II, a priority irrigation project of the Department of Agriculture.

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