P-Noy asks Mar to investigate RoRo kickbacks

MANILA, Philippines -  President Aquino ordered yesterday incoming Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas II to investigate the alleged anomalies in the roll-on roll-off (RoRo) projects of the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Roxas told Malacañang reporters that Aquino mentioned the overpricing in the construction of RoRo ports but he has not yet seen the details.

“I read a document listing either what’s lacking or overpricing but I don’t want to make any prejudgment, I will look into it and I will render the report to the President after that study,” Roxas said.

In his meeting with soldiers in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija last April, the President already said his administration discovered a lot of anomalies, including the alleged overpriced RoRo projects.

Aquino told the soldiers that he would like to stop overpricing in government projects so that funds would not be wasted and would go to social services.

Aquino said Roxas accepted his offer to take over the Department of Transportation and Communications since Secretary Jose de Jesus had resigned effective July 1.

Roxas, a former senator, was one of those who investigated the anomalous national broadband network (NBN) project deal with ZTE Corp. of China that was cancelled following public outcry after the exposure of alleged massive bribery and overpricing.

Roxas told radio dzMM that his new assignment would make him a technocrat again after he served as trade secretary under the administration of President Joseph Estrada.

Roxas said he was a technocrat before a politician, having been an investment banker before he joined politics and won as congressman and then senator. He lost to Vice President Jejomar Binay in the May 2010 elections.

He said his new post was very challenging because it would involve wide ranging areas – land, sea and air transportation and communications.

“The DOTC is a support service, a utility service. An uneventful day means everything is running smoothly. This is where we want all agencies under DOTC to be. Whether you are taking a boat, plane, train or bus, we have to ensure that services are safe, affordable and running smoothly,” he said.

Roxas said the DOTC was the “veins, the arteries of the body to move products and people all across our country” and must not be weak.

He vowed not to spare anyone in his efforts to ensure the effective delivery of services to the people.

The President said the DOTC’s projects had long been the milking cows of the corrupt in the agency.

Roxas said on GMA 7’s Unang Hirit that he accepted the job because of his desire to help the Aquino administration succeed.

“Mahal ko siya (I love him),” Roxas said of his friend, the President.

He said he was excited to start working even if the DOTC was filled with all sorts of problems.