Senate begins World Bank project probe

The Senate will begin today its investigation into a reported cartel among contractors in government road projects funded by the World Bank (WB).

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago vowed to unmask those behind the collusion to bag the anomalous projects exposed by the WB.

At the same time, Santiago hit the House of Representatives’ earlier investigation into the matter, describing it as a “comic opera” rather than an inquiry to ferret out the truth.

“Some honorable representatives reportedly joined in singing a ‘hallelujah’ chorus to the almighty contractors, from whom all good things come. The political power of big-time contractors proved itself awesome,” Santiago said.

During the plenary session, she delivered a fiery privilege speech where she also lambasted some of her colleagues, threatened to resign and then walked out as she felt disrespected by a motion of Sen. Francis Pangilinan seeking to transfer the investigation to the Blue Ribbon committee, instead of the economic affairs panel she chairs.

But Pangilinan said he merely clarified which committee should look into the issue and had no objections to its referral to Santiago’s panel.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri agreed that they were not taking the investigation away from Santiago.

The WB recently blacklisted three Filipino contractors believed to have bribed public officials and rigged the bidding of the Philippines’ National Roads Improvement and Management Program 1.

Santiago cited the projects of the contractors as follows: E.C. de Luna Construction: Tagaytay-Palico road – P104.20 million; road concreting in Palawan – P322.20 million; Tagaytay City flyover – P292.94 million; road construction in Misamis Occidental and Zamboanga del Norte – P254.83 million; road improvement in San Jose, Patnongon – P126.68 million; overlay Asluman road, Iloilo and Antique – P997.57 million; and Iloilo East Coast–Capiz road – P530.59 million.

Cavite Ideal Construction: Naga-Toledo road – P805.6 million; Sablayan road in Occidental Mindoro – P889.3 million; Tacloban road in Leyte – P964 million; C-5 flyover in Metro Manila – P765 million; Putlan bridge in Nueva Ecija – P205.6 million; Lotus Central Mall in Imus, Cavite – P425 million; rehabilitation project in Echague, Isabela – P587.9 million; civil works for Sta. Maria bridge in Ilocos Sur – P97.6 million; civil works Baybay Bato in Leyte, Cebu – P856.2 million; civil works Reina Mercedes in Isabela – P562.5 million; Macalelon road in Quezon – P654.7 million; Aritao road in Baguio – P1.422.4 billion; South Luzon Expressway Service Road in Metro Manila – P524.4 million; and Arterial road in South Leyte – P829.7 million.

Santiago did not disclose the list of CM Pancho Construction projects because she did not have their costs.

Santiago said she would like to find out the person who allegedly received P70 million in bribe money from contractors even as President Arroyo had ordered the Department of Trade and Industry to investigate the matter.

But aside from the issue on the contractors themselves, Santiago blew her top because in 2007, Pangilinan, then majority leader, referred the resolution on the matter to the economic affairs panel.

But when another resolution was filed on the cartel of contractors this year, Pangilinan sought reconsideration to refer the case either to the Blue Ribbon or public works committee.

Santiago said she considered these moves “stab wounds” in her back because the motion was made when she was not around.