Belgian firm belies reports of anomaly in Laguna Lake project

MANILA, Philippines - A Belgian dredging company yesterday disputed reports that there was anomaly in the P18.7-billion Laguna Lake Rehabilitation Project.

Clarifying statements by newly elected Rep. Dan Fernandez, the Baggerwerken Decloedt en Zoon (BDZ) stressed that the project is being undertaken in accordance with government laws and not a “midnight deal.”

“As early as 2009, our company has already been conducting studies on the freshwater lake, and that was part of our unsolicited proposal to the government,” said Dimitry Dutilleux, area manager for North Asia of BDZ.

“We were able to get the contract by legal means. We followed all the regulations, and we have complied with all of them,” he said.

Fernandez had asked Malacañang to probe the project’s contract, which he alleged was signed during the last few months of the previous administration.

Dutilleux said “the signing of the contract was done before the transition period of the terms of former secretaries (Eleazar) Quinto and (Horacio) Ramos.”

He said the BDZ is open to any investigation to find out which companies got midnight deals.

“We understand that there is a new administration, and we are very much willing to cooperate with them if they need us to explain the particulars of this project,” he said.

Expected to start this year, the project aims to improve water quality in the freshwater lake.

The government plans to tap the lake as an alternative source for potable water in Metro Manila.

The project’s contractor, BDZ, is one of the leading dredging companies in the world with over a hundred years of experience in environmental dredging works.