17 lawmakers tagged by Discayas skip Blue Ribbon probe

MANILA, Philippines — The 17 lawmakers implicated by contractor couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya were a no-show during yesterday’s resumption of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee investigation on flood control corruption.

The lawmakers told the committee, through Speaker Faustino Dy III, that they were not attending “to avoid any possible prejudice” to the ongoing investigation by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), Blue Ribbon committee chair and Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said in his opening statement.

Dy said the concerned members of the House have already formally submitted themselves to the jurisdiction and ongoing investigation of the ICI and “subjecting them to a simultaneous legislative inquiry on the identical subject could potentially prejudice the findings of the ICI.”

The 17 congressmen earlier mentioned by the Discaya couple in their sworn affidavit are Roman Romulo of Pasig, Jojo Ang of Uswag Ilonggo party-list, Patrick Michael Vargas and Juan Carlos Atayde of Quezon City, Nicanor Briones of Agap party-list, Marcelino Teodoro of Marikina, Florida Robes of San Jose del Monte in Bulacan, Eleandro Jesus Madrona of Romblon, Benjamin Agarao Jr. of Laguna, Florencio Gabriel Noel of An Waray, Leody Tarriela of Occidental Mindoro, Reynante Arrogancia of Quezon, Marvin Rillo and Marivic Co-Pilar of Quezon City, Teodorico Haresco of Aklan, Antonieta Yudela of Zamboanga Sibugay and Dean Asistio of Caloocan.

But their absence failed to stop Lacson from pursuing their alleged role in the corruption scandal.

He allowed the Discaya couple, who attended the hearing, to go home under heavy escort to retrieve their alleged ledger of kickbacks to the lawmakers.

They left the hearing around lunchtime and returned in the afternoon with piles of documents, which allegedly contained the names of those who earned commissions from their projects.

The lawmakers mentioned in the ledgers of the Discaya couple were Romulo, Rillo, Asistio, Vargas, Pilar and Ang.

Also in the ledgers are former Department of Public Works and Highways undersecretary Roberto Bernardo and former Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas undersecretary Terence Calatrava.

Former speaker and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez was also a no-show during the hearing.

Another no-show was Benguet congressman Eric Yap, an alleged accomplice of resigned Ako Bicol party-list congressman Zaldy Co and Romualdez.

Lacson said Co was invited to the hearing, but the lawmaker’s lawyer, Ruy Rondain, said Co would be unable to attend as he is abroad for medical reasons. — Jose Rodel Clapano