‘Favored’ contractor wins P1-B worth projects — Andaya
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2019 09:03:38 +0000
ANDAYA (FB photo)
A contractor who cornered billions of pesos in questioned flood control projects in Sorsogon and Catanduanes has won anew some P1-billion worth contracts through advanced bidding of still unfunded projects.
C.T. Leoncio Trading and Construction reportedly emerged winner in a supposed competitive public bidding of P1- billion worth of infrastructure projects to be implemented in Sorsogon and Catanduanes prior to the approval by Congress of the proposed 2019 national budget, revealed Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr., chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations.
C.T. Leoncio had been questioned in a congressional inquiry into alleged budgetary irregularities that lawmakers claimed to have been carried out in 2017 and 2018 by the Department of Budget Management under Secretary Benjamin Diokno.
The contractor’s name surfaced anew supposedly as the winner in the bidding of P1-billion worth of infrastructure projects conducted months before a budget to finance them could be approved.
Andaya’s office informed the House media that the result of the bidding in Sorsogon and Catanduanes was “altered at the last minute to show that contractors other than C.T. Leoncio submitted the lowest bid for the P1-billion projects.”
Andaya revealed that documents submitted by the Department of Public Works and Highways last December showed that C.T. Leoncio submitted the lowest bid totaling P988,560,855 for 14 projects in Sorsogon
and Catanduanes under the 2019 NEP.
“But a new list submitted by DPWH last Tuesday showed that C.T. Leoncio did not win any bidding for Sorsogon projects,” claimed Andaya.
The advanced public bidding of infrastructure projects had been authorized under a memorandum circular
issued by Diokno.
Lawmakers assailed the circular as highly irregular because it presupposes that the budget that will finance the projects will be approved by Congress.
“This Diokno circular eventually allowed the DPWH regional offices and district engineering offices to conduct bidding activities for the P75-billion infrastructure projects inserted in the NEP,” said Andaya. (Ben Rosario)