Miriam 'invites' FG, others to WB probe

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago is inviting First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo as well as some congressmen and public works officials to appear before the Senate to shed light on a World Bank (WB) report implicating them in anomalies in the awarding of government infrastructure contracts.

She issued the invitation even if the WB had declined her request for copies of its so-called referral report. Santiago chairs the Senate economic affairs committee, which is spearheading a probe into the alleged collusion among contractors and some officials.

Invited to the Senate hearing on Thursday, aside from Mr. Arroyo, are former congressmen Prospero Pichay of Surigao del Sur and Jerome Paras of Negros, former public works secretary Florante Soriquez, public works assistant director for Region 4 Tito Miranda, project director Lope Adriano and Boy Belleza.

The WB report described Belleza as an “arranger” since the Marcos regime who had been barred for a time from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Earlier in the day, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said Santiago filed an indefinite leave early this week due to chronic fatigue syndrome. But later in the afternoon, she released a statement saying she had not received the WB report and was mad about it.

Santiago also asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to file a protest against the WB for refusing to give the Senate a copy of its “referral report” on three blacklisted Filipino construction firms.

Santiago said the WB report in her possession did not mention anything about the involvement of the First Gentleman.

Excerpts from the WB report given to media people showed that Mr. Arroyo received five percent “commissions” for road projects, while five percent to six percent went to the congressmen and the senator, who was identified as the late Robert Barbers.

A Japanese contractor, identified in the WB report as Tomatu Suzuka, said it was impossible to do business with the Philippine government without bribing officials.

“Money would have to be paid as high up as the president, senior government officials and politicians in order to do any further business in the country,” he claimed.

Miriam mad at WB

“I was being polite, and dutifully observed protocol by first requesting for waiver of WB confidentiality. All I got for my pains was a summary refusal,” Santiago said after WB Country Director Bert Hofman spurned her request for a copy of the “referral report,” citing “confidentiality.”

“This is a gross manifestation of the antediluvian mentality that all developing states are beggars to be ignored at whim,” Santiago said.

“In effect, the WB is saying that the finance secretary and the Ombudsman are relevant authorities, but not the Senate,” she said.

“I educate those hoity-toity WB lawyers that in the Philippines, a public hearing is a constitutionally protected power of the Senate,” she said.

“Even the UN Secretary-General has the duty, repeat, the duty, to waive immunity, when he believes that immunity would impede the cause of justice, and can be waived without prejudice to the interest of the UN,” she said.

In Washington, Sen. Francis Escudero said he met with some WB procurement officials who promised to check the institution’s internal rules to determine if it would be all right to release a copy of its report to the Senate.

As a matter of rule, the WB only officially deals with the country’s Department of Finance.

“I will know by next week if this is possible,” Escudero said.

“It was a productive and enlightening meeting,” Escudero said in a statement. The senator is in Washington for the 47th National Prayer Breakfast.

Escudero said he met for an hour with Shaun Moss, WB regional procurement manager of the Central Operational Service Unit in the East Asia and Pacific Region; Ben Gericke, senior transport engineer; and Senior Operations Officer Steve Charles Burgess at the World Bank headquarters.

“The WB officials said they will provide me a copy of their proposed amendments to our procurement code,” he said. 

‘Demolition job’

 Deputy Speaker for Mindanao Simeon Datumanong, a former public works secretary, said Japanese contractor Tomatu Suzuka should come out in the open and show evidence of involvement of Mr. Arroyo in the alleged institutional bribery in WB-funded projects.

“This is a clear demolition job again to discredit the government, especially as 2010 elections are nearing. These are all hearsay. Without their appearance, everything will be viewed as a demolition job against the administration and will not stand in court,” he said.

“How can an allegation which is based on a certain Japanese contractor stand in court without evidence?” Datumanong asked.

“It is not acceptable in court. Somebody has to come out and attest to that, otherwise we are just dealing with speculations that will not help the country,” Datumanong, a congressman from Maguindanao, said.

Another lawmaker, Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, said the allegation was speculative.

“It is very speculative and should be ignored by the public as this is only sowing intrigue to create divisiveness at times when other nations are helping one another to mitigate the impact of the global financial crunch,” he said.

“Why not come here and file the complaint so that it will not be just media hype. These foreign contractors have the advantage, they are allowed to bid in the country even if they don’t have a single dump truck,” Suarez said.

Barbers’ son hits WB report

Surigao del Norte Gov. Robert Ace Barbers defended his late father Sen. Robert Barbers from bribery accusations contained in the Word Bank report.

“It is very sad that my father who has been gone years now is being dragged into this mess. Remember that he was out of politics after the 2004 elections,” he said.

“If the report indeed exists, how can we, remaining members of the family, clear the name of our father if we cannot test the veracity of the allegations,” the young Barbers added.

“If the WB will not make it public, then at least they should have the decency to furnish us copies and allow us to pose queries on the allegations leveled against our father who cannot anymore defend himself. This is most unfair,” he said.

“It’s like being tried before the bar of public opinion by somebody who doesn’t want to be known. Even in our Bill of Rights which we copied from the Americans, the same people who dominate the WB, the accused is given the right to cross-examine the witnesses against him,” he said.

“In my own humble opinion, the WB and other similar entities which have projects here in the Philippines should just pick its own contractors to undertake the projects they fund. I’m sure that the Filipino people will welcome this suggestion as it will end corruption, in their projects at least,” Barbers suggested.

Palace told not to evade issue

Sen. Panfilo Lacson asked Malacañang to face squarely the allegations against the First Gentleman.

In a radio interview, Lacson said Malacañang has the propensity to put pressure on whistle-blowers linking people close to the President instead of facing the charges squarely.

“Malacañang will do well to correct its behavior by addressing the problem instead of discrediting the bearer of bad news, as it has done out of habit,” Lacson said.

He said the Palace used the same tactic to divert the people’s attention from the irregularities in the $329-million national broadband network (NBN) deal and the P728-million fertilizer scam.

“In all these messes, the Palace will merely ask where is the evidence,” Lacson said.

Special prosecutor

Sen. Manel Roxas II, for his part, proposed the appointment of a special prosecutor to handle exclusively the investigation into Mr. Arroyo’s alleged involvement in irregularities in public works projects.

Roxas said the move would show the international community that the government is sincere in fighting corruption in the country.

“The theory behind appointing a special prosecutor is that there is a built-in conflict of interest between the Department of Justice and officials who may have political or governmental connections with that department,” Roxas said. He also accused Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez of not doing her job.

He said Congress may designate a special prosecutor, although the president herself can make her own appointment.

“It is important for the government to show to the international community its seriousness and sincerity in fighting corruption in government,” Roxas said.

Meanwhile, Malolos Bishop Jose Oliveros appealed for sobriety, saying the authenticity of the WB document in Lacson’s possession might be “tainted.”

“It would be better if we would wait for the official report of the WB. These allegations that are coming out came from Senator Panfilo Lacson, we do not know its authenticity,” he said over Radio Veritas.

“If the WB report is true, then those who are involved in the monopoly of DPWH projects should be punished,” Oliveros, a known ally of President Arroyo, said. With Evelyn Macairan, Perseus Echeminada, Delon Porcalla