Metro Manila, Philippines – Senator Ping Lacson has released photos that he said prove the existence of ghost projects in Taguig City, alleging that Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano controlled the scheme with kickbacks totaling as much as 33 percent of each project cost.
This was the latest in the word war between Lacson and Cayetano, who has repeatedly denied the existence of ghost projects in his political bailiwick.
Photos released by Lacson’s office on Friday, July 31, showed four sets of images for four separate slope protection projects at different sites in Taguig City, awarded to four contractors. However, one identical geotagged photo appeared in all four project documentation sets.
The projects were all reported as “completed, billed, and paid.”
Lacson’s office also identified one project that appeared to have been funded twice after it was awarded to two different contractors.
Lacson said based on at least five case studies conducted by his team so far, the alleged anomalies include recycled photos used for billing and collection, double appropriations for the same project, and overlapping spans of slope protection works, including along the Taguig River, which he said may have cost the government hundreds of millions of pesos.
“Ang kalakaran sa Taguig virtually controlled ng isang tao. Walang makakagalaw doon na hindi alam ni Cayetano. Iyan ang kalakaran,” Lacson said in a statement.
[Translation: DPWH operations in Taguig are virtually controlled by one person. No one can move without Cayetano’s knowledge. That’s the way it works.]
Lacson said projects in the city were prearranged for favored contractors, with district engineers expected to follow the directives of Cayetano’s trusted men.
Lacson said his office traced the alleged money trail with the help of informants and found out a 33 percent kickback scheme, broken down as follows: 10 percent for the “principal,” 2 percent for the “boys,” 6 percent for members of the Bids and Awards Committee and contractor participants, and 15 percent for then Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, who now faces plunder and graft charges before the Sandiganbayan.
“That’s why nag-resort sila sa overlapping and ghost, or substandard. Saan babawi ang kontratista kung ganyan kalaki ang nawala sa lagayan?” Lacson said.
[Translation: That’s why they resorted to overlapping and ghost projects, or do substandard work. How else could contractors get back their money if they lose so much?]
Lacson earlier submitted the evidence gathered by his office to the Office of the Ombudsman, saying he believes there are sufficient to support cases of plunder, malversation, and violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
NewsWatch Plus has reached out to Cayetano for comment.
