Chiz liable for taking P30M, but Comelec is waffling
Senate President Chiz Escudero can be removed and jailed for taking campaign contributions from a DPWH contractor.
Proof is his sworn Statement of Contributions and Expenditures for Election 2022.
The SOCE lists P30 million from Lawrence Lubiano of Centerways Construction and Development Inc. Lubiano can also be jailed.
The P30 million was the biggest chunk, 20 percent, of handouts.
“I know him, he’s a friend and [Sorsogon] province-mate,” Escudero told reporters Wednesday.
The Omnibus Election Code, Section 95(c) prohibits government contractors from donating, election lawyer Romy Macalintal reminded yesterday.
Comelec Resolutions 10772 for Election 2022 and 11109 for Election 2025 limit doles to five percent of the giver’s taxable income for the previous year, Macalintal recalled.
“No person shall solicit or receive directly or indirectly contribution for partisan political activity from any entity or person who holds contracts to supply government with goods or services, or to perform construction and other works,” Macalintal read out.
Section 263 holds criminally liable “the principals, accomplices and accessories.”
The prohibition is provided for under Section 95(c) of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC). Violation of this rule is an election offense which carries the penalty of one to six years imprisonment with no probation and disqualification to hold public office as provided under Section 265 of the OEC.
Section 264 penalizes violators with one to six years imprisonment, plus removal and disqualification from public office.
Comelec can motu proprio investigate the candidate and contributor, Macalintal said.
But Comelec Chairman George Garcia sounded reluctant in two broadcast interviews yesterday:
First, to Super Radyo dzBB’s Orly Trinidad, he said the candidate and contractor can escape liability if there was no direct [public] contract involved. Yet no such qualification is stated in the sections above.
Then, with GMA Unang Balita’s Arnold Clavio, he mentioned only Section 95’s prohibition on contractors. No mention of Sections 263 and 264 covering candidates.
President Bongbong Marcos exposed Centerways as seventh of 15 biggest flood works contractors. He found “disturbing” that the 15 cornered 2,000 flood contracts worth P100 billion out of 10,000 worth P545 billion in 2022-2025.
Public outcry ensued the other week when storms deluged 11 of 15 regions due to faulty drainage and dredging.
Escudero decried as “demolition job” by congressmen dissatisfied with the outcome of VP Sara Duterte’s impeachment. Deputy Speaker David Suarez and Rep. Ronaldo Puno advised him to ignore the imputations if untrue.
Centerways reportedly bagged 85 flood works worth P5.16 billion, 54 were in Sorsogon of which 36 were in Escudero’s 1st district. Parents Salvador and Evelina used to represent it. Chiz was governor before returning to the Senate. Sister Marie Bernadette is now congresswoman.
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BBM’s son Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos cautioned the House against “investigating its own.” Since 67 congressmen-contractors allegedly are involved, he preferred to leave the scrutinizing to Malacañang and DPWH.
Makabayan Reps. Antonio Tinio and Renee Co said the Commission on Audit should do it. Not the Executive, since DPWH national and regional officials likely are in cahoots with crooked contractors.
But is COA trustworthy?
Last Congressional election, a party-list’s first nominee was the wife of a COA bigwig. She claimed to represent marginalized vendors, but owns construction and mining firms.
DPWH granted one firm two roadway lighting works, P95 million each, in Meycauayan and Marilao, Bulacan in June 2024.
DENR franchised another firm to mine black sand magnetite in 10,000 hectares of Lingayen gulf. Pangasinenses protested.
True FM’s Ted Failon and DJ Chacha exposed it as far back as October 2024. So did election watchdog Kontra Daya’s Danny Arao. I wrote about it thrice.
Bishops, retired generals, professionals and NGOs under Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan denounced the bastardizing of party-list voting.
BBM ignored the outcry against his COA appointee’s conflict of interest.
Comelec’s Garcia too ignored the issue, claiming he had no power. Yet the poll body disqualified hundreds of senatorial and party-list bets as nuisance.
Article IX, Constitutional Commissions, Section 2 states: “No Member of a Constitutional Commission shall, during his tenure… be privilege granted by Government.”
Worse, the third nominee’s husband is a Southern Tagalog contractor. The first nominee’s COA bigwig-husband cleared the third nominee’s contractor husband of a multimillion-peso bungled roadwork in Palawan.
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Third in BBM’s greylist of 15 “disturbing” flood works contractors is St. Timothy Construction Corp. Owners Pacifico and Sarah Discaya got contracts in all 15 regions.
St. Timothy was the 60-percent financial partner of South Korea’s Miru Systems for Election 2025’s 110,000 voting machines.
In October 2024, Sarah announced intention to run for Pasig City mayor. Comelec’s Garcia gave her ultimatum to choose: fulfill the electronic system contract or run for office. Sarah chose the latter.
The St. Timothy-Miru consortium lost its 60-percent financier. Comelec should’ve cancelled the project, ANIM howled.
Yet in breach of Filipino-foreign 60:40 partnership laws, Comelec persisted with Miru.
Vico Sotto won re-election as Pasig mayor despite months-long barrage of black propaganda.
But the balloting for senators and party-lists resulted in a whopping 61 million counts of cyber fraud.
The election produced four pairs of siblings and nine political spouses or offspring – 19 of 24 senators. Plus, 257 dynasts out of 317 congressmen – 81 percent. Also 140 of 164 governors and vice governors – 85 percent.
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The triplet evils of Philippine society are corruption, dynasties and fraudulent elections.
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