Mayors to review 10 years of DPWH projects for flood control probe
MANILA, Philippines — A coalition of mayors has pledged to help the country's independent probe body build cases against anomalous infrastructure projects by auditing 10 years’ worth of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) contracts in their cities and opening a "whistleblower hotline."
The partnership was formalized Tuesday, September 23, after the Mayors for Good Governance (M4GG) — represented by Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte — signed a memorandum of understanding with the Independent Commission for Infrastructure.
Mayors to submit records, conduct inspections
Belmonte said member-mayors of M4GG have already been asked to comb through projects carried out by the DPWH in their areas since 2015.
Findings will be submitted to the commission, which was set up earlier this month to investigate corruption in public works, especially flood control projects.
“We promise to assist the ICI in our goal to solve the problems of corruption in our cities, especially in flood control projects, but not limited to flood control projects,” Belmonte said in mixed English and Filipino during the signing.
“We have already asked [the mayors] to conduct various investigations in their areas of jurisdiction to find all infrastructure projects… in the last 10 years and submit this to the ICI to aid in their investigation," the Quezon City mayor said.
Whistleblower hotline launched
Besides the audit of DPWH projects, the M4GG member-mayors will also assist the commission by facilitating activities like joint site inspections and "crowd-sourcing endeavors," according to a statement by the coalition.
The M4GG will also establish a whistleblower hotline to serve as a bridge for government officials, contractors and insiders to provide key information about anomalous projects.
Sotto said the participation of local governments would allow the commission to gather evidence more quickly.
“As individual mayors, of course, our scope or jurisdiction is limited, but through our colleagues and through other mayors, the members of the Mayors for Good Governance, we will be able to move faster,” Sotto said in mixed English and Filipino.
“Our fellow mayors will be able to help in fact-finding, in case build-up, and if they have other information, they will be able to help our commission," he added.
The coalition's convenors are Sotto, Belmonte, Magalong and Isabela City Mayor Sitti Djalia Hataman.
Magalong also sits as the commission's special adviser.
ICI Chairperson and former Supreme Court Justice Andres Reyes Jr. welcomed the support from local governments.
“Honesty is the best policy. And secondly, no one is above the law," Reyes said in his brief remarks after the signing of the memorandum.
Other partners. Besides the M4GG, the independent body also signed memorandums of understanding Tuesday with three other organizations: the Philippine National Police, led by Chief PNP Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr.; the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, headed by executive president Allan Panolong; and the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, led by national president Frederick Francis Sison.
The commission, which was set up on September 11, is focusing its early probes on flood control works, including so-called "ghost projects" — contracts listed in the budget and reported as completed but which do not actually exist on the ground.
Former Senate finance panel chairperson Grace Poe attended a hearing of the commission on Tuesday morning.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, who has been accused of receiving kickbacks, or under-the-table payments from contractors, in connection with flood control projects in Bulacan, also appeared at the ICI headquarters on Tuesday.
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