Ex-SSS exec Jose Gabriel La Viña confirms rift among board members

MANILA, Philippines — A former Social Security System (SSS) commissioner admitted there were indeed disagreements within the board of the Social Security Commission (SSC), which could have prompted President Duterte not to renew appointments.

“It is true that there is division. But it is a division I think… on a professional, ideological and philosophical level,” former SSC commissioner Jose Gabriel La Viña said yesterday in a phone interview with The STAR.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque cited ongoing rifts among the SSS board members as one of the possible reasons Duterte decided not to renew the terms of La Viña and SSC chairman Amado Valdez.

One of the disagreements among the SSC, according to La Viña, involves the proposal to bid for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) rehabilitation project together with Megawide Construction Corp.

“There are differences in the board on how to proceed. And one of the differences is in terms of Megawide,” he said.

The SSS had purchased 110.53-million shares from Megawide, which is equivalent to a 5.2-percent stake to enable the state funding agency to participate in the administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program.

La Viña, however, said things started to take a turn in the SSS after Valdez announced the plan to form a consortium with Megawide and submit an unsolicited proposal for the NAIA rehabilitation.

La Viña said one of the commissioners – whom he declined to name – started to spread rumors seemingly in an attempt to vilify Megawide among the board members. This rumor pertained to the supposed “insolvency” of Megawide chairman Edgar Saavedra.

La Viña questioned why the commissioner only raised the concern when the SSS had already purchased shares from Megawide.

“The investment in Megawide was decided by the whole board, unanimously by the whole board and endorsed by the management,” he said.

“But later on, I just noticed, after chairman Valdez mentioned that SSS and Megawide would bid for NAIA – which has not even been approved, not even discussed seriously within the board – I felt that the slander against Megawide has heightened. They’re trying to link chairman Valdez and me to Megawide, almost insinuating something,” La Viña said.