Senate President Franklin Drilon and nine others were charged
yesterday with plunder and graft over the alleged overpriced
construction of the Iloilo Convention Center (ICC).
Included in the 18-page criminal and administrative complaints filed
by former Iloilo Provincial Administrator Manuel Mejorada before the
Office of the Ombudsman were Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson;
Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr.; Tourism Director Mark Lapid; Public
Works Undersecretary Jaime Pacanan, chairman of the DPWH national bids
and awards committee (BAC); Public Works Undersecretary Romeo Momo;
Iloilo Public Works Regional Director Edilberto Tayao; Marilyn Celiz;
Iloilo regional chairman of the DPWH BAC; William Coscoluella, president
of William Coscolluela & Associates, which is the architect of the
ICC; and Efren Canlas, president of Hilmarcs Construction.
Last month, former Iloilo Congressman Augusto Syjuco Jr. also filed
plunder charges against Drilon, Jimenez, Singson, and other public
officials including President Aquino arising from the same alleged
overpriced construction of the ICC.
Only last month, former Iloilo congressman Augusto Syjuco Jr. filed
plunder charges against Drilon, Jimenez Jr., Singson, and other public
officials, including President Aquino, arising from the same alleged
overpriced construction of the ICC.
But Drilon slammed the plunder and graft charges, saying these are
just malicious suits, while the DPWH maintained that the construction of
the P700-million Iloilo Convention Center, located in Megaworld’s
Iloilo Business Park in Mandurriao, Iloilo City, is within standards and
not overpriced.
Mejorada, in his complaint, said that Drilon announced in April,
2012, the building of the convention center at the cost of only P300
million, or P30,000 per square meter, with the funds coming from his
Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and the Department of
Tourism (DOT). But he said the construction cost was revised several
times to reach almost P500 million.
Mejorada, who used to work as a “consultant” of Drilon, stressed that
construction of the building is not yet complete, adding “the contract
price covers only the shell structure, basically the civil works for the
project.”
He claimed that once the ICC is completed, it would be overpriced by
more than P487 million because with a total floor area of 6,400 square
meters, the unit cost for the construction and completion of the
establishment will amount to P106,226 per square meter.
But Drilon maintained the construction and bidding of the ICC was
above board, saying allegations it is overpriced is “ridiculous.”
“(That’s) ridiculous. The total cost of the ICC is around P700
million. Kung sasabihin mo na yung overprice ay P487 million, ang
matitira na lang, around P220 million. Yaan po ay 11,600 square meters
of an international convention center (standards). Samakatuwid, ang
sinasabi niya, ang project per square meter ay around P18,000 lang which
is quite ridiculous. It just shows how ridiculous his claims are,”
Drilon told reporters in an interview.
“There was nothing overpriced. The bidding procedures on the project were strictly followed,” Momo said.
Last August 27, Drilon filed a libel case against Mejorada at the
Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office. Mejorada maintains a WordPress blog
which carries stories of the alleged overpriced projects of the Senate
leader in Iloilo City.
Mejorada said Drilon was the principal respondent for the case for
pushing “the funding of the contract from his PDAF and the Disbursement
Acceleration Program (DAP).”
“He (Drilon) presumed to have harvested the fruits of the anomalous
expenditures way above what can be considered reasonable for the
construction of the project,” Mejorada added.
The BAC officers were included in the charge sheet for recommending
the award of the negotiated contract to Hilmarcs, the same contractor
that built the now controversial Makati City Hall Building II.
Drilon said the building would be used in the APEC ministerial meetings in October of 2015.
The Senate president also said Mejorada had asked him before to
recommend him as a press undersecretary in Malacañang or a regional
director at the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
