MANILA, Philippines - Former President Joseph Estrada has expressed his support to President Aquino’s Bridge Program for as long as it is reaching the people and the areas where it is intended.
Although he is not directly defending the program, Estrada said the project would benefit people from the depressed areas in the country.
“It is a logical program that would spur development in rural areas for as long as it reaches the people and areas where its benefits are intended,” Estrada said.
The Bridge Program was introduced by former President Fidel Ramos as an Official Development Assistance (ODA) project aimed at connecting the people from remote areas to those in the plains for development.
The program is criticized by Sen. Sergio Osmeña, which he said is a “mother of all scams.”
“It will help our country move forward especially in remote areas. There are still some areas in our country that even a tricycle cannot pass through the other sitios because there are no existing bridges,” Estrada said.
If the allegations were proven true, Estrada said the corruption involving the President’s Bridge Program must be stopped.
But he said the government must continue the program, while at the same time ensuring that proper safety nets are being implemented to prevent corruption.
Osmeña earlier said that contractors involved in the P111-billion President’s Bridge Program were allegedly given due advantage by government officials under the administrations of Ramos, Estrada and former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.