On being Vice Chair of Appropriations

CEBU, Philippines — Calderon also dismissed speculation linking him to insertions allegedly made by Appropriations Chair Rep. Zaldy Co, particularly on a flood control project in Badian listed in the 2025 budget and flagged by Rep. Toby Tiangco.

While he served as one of the 50 vice-chairpersons of the House Committee on Appropriations from 2019 to 2025, Calderon said his role was limited to sponsoring and defending agency budgets during plenary debates.

“So nahimo diay kang Vice-Chairman ni Congressman Co?” Bañoc asked.

Calderon replied: “Yes. Even before nahimong chairman on Appropriations si Co, vice-chairman nako daan.”

He said his work as vice chairman was to preside over committee hearings and defend agency budgets, but he did not author or insert projects for his district.

According to him, the bulk of the P12 billion allocation for the 7th District came out of the BiCam deliberations, and he had no knowledge of who pushed for their inclusion.

Friendship with contractor

On concerns about QM Builders cornering several projects in the district, Calderon admitted knowing its owner, Alan Quirante, long before becoming a congressman.

“In fact, nakaluhod kog kasal sa usa ka anak niya. Di ko motago or molimod ana,” he said.

However, Calderon maintained that he had no hand in awarding contracts, saying that once the budget is enacted through the General Appropriations Act, implementation falls under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

He said he even asked the district engineer and regional director about alleged ghost projects, but was assured all projects were either completed or ongoing.

The 7th District covers Dumanjug, Ronda, Alcantara, Moalboal, Badian, Alegria, Malabuyoc, and Ginatilan—several of which are low-lying municipalities prone to flooding and sea surges.

Among Cebu’s municipalities, Malabuyoc received the biggest allocation at P3.1 billion for 38 projects, followed by Ronda with P2.6 billion for 34 projects, and Dumanjug with P2.18 billion for 32 projects. —/FPL (FREEMAN)