The House of Representatives’ committee on rules has already issued subpoenas to the owner of C.T. Leoncio Construction and several officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways in the Bicol region to shed light on allegedly anomalous flood control projects, the panel’s chairman said Thursday.
House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya said he has sought the help of the police to locate and serve the subpoenas to the people invited to a Jan. 3 hearing of his panel to be held in Naga City.
Subpoenas have been issued to Consolacion Leoncio, owner of C.T. Leoncio; and DPWH officials Engrs. Virgilio Eduarte, Danilo Verzola, Ignacio Odiaman, Wilfredo Flores, Larry Reyes, Merla Raveche, Jorge Gorimbao, Victor Azupardo, Gil Augustus Balmadrid, Noland Claro Guerrero; Malou Lacuna, Mr. Renato de Vera, and Elenita Tan.
“The subpoenas, I was informed, were received by the PNP Region 5 as early as Dec. 20,” Andaya said in a statement.
“We expect the attendance and full cooperation of these people in the House investigation. The House will not hesitate to issue arrest orders should those subpoenaed refuse to appear in our congressional hearings,” he said.
“We also expect Ms. Leoncio and the DPWH officials to bring with them copies of transaction documents involving the infrastructure projects in question,” he said.
Andaya earlier disclosed that a former Cabinet official seeking an elective post in 2019 has allegedly parked at least P300 million in infrastructure projects in the national budget.
The parking scheme allegedly facilitated by the Department of Budget and Management led by Secretary Benjamin Diokno could explain the huge increase allocated to flood mitigation projects from 2017 to 2018, Andaya said.
The budget stood at P79 billion in 2017 but ballooned to P133 billion in 2018, he said.
Diokno had tied Andaya’s accusations to attempts to pressure him to release funds from the Road Board before it is abolished.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri on Thursday appealed to Minority Leader Franklin Drilon to keep an open mind on his proposal to convene the bicameral conference committee for the abolition of the controversial Road Board.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Drilon said there was no need to convene a bicameral conference committee on the abolition of the graft-tainted government agency because the Senate had already approved the House version of the bill.
“Convening a bicam has no basis when there are no inconsistent or disagreeing provisions,” Drilon insisted.
“When we adopted the House bill on Sept. 12, there were no more disagreeing provisions,” he said.
Zubiri, on the other hand, said his proposal to convene a bicameral conference committee was aimed at appeasing current House leaders who felt changes to the bill—approved during the time of Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez–need to be made.
The Road Board oversees funds collected from the road user’s tax solely for road maintenance and drainage improvement, the installation of traffic lights and road safety devices, and monitoring air pollution.
It is tasked by law to identify and propose allocations for road projects to be funded by proceeds from the Motor Vehicle User’s Charge—the tax paid whenever their cars are registered with the Land Transportation Office.
President Rodrigo Duterte has called for the immediate abolition of the agency, which he said was used as the “milking cow” for corrupt officials.
Earlier, Drilon said the Road Board is dead, and that the Senate, consistent with its position, should give the agency a zero budget.
Drilon said the President can also order the members of the Board not to approve any project or authorize the release of funds, including the Board’s maintenance and other operating expense budget.
This can be done because Congress delegated the power to appropriate the Road User’s Tax to the Road Board, most of whom are Cabinet members.
“If the Road Board will not exercise that delegated authority, Congress cannot do anything,” Drilon said.