'Moro-moro project biddings in Makati'

MANILA, Philippines - Another former Makati City official corroborated claims that Vice President Jejomar Binay rigged biddings on city projects when he was still mayor.

Ernesto Aspillaga, a two-term councilor, said there were no real biddings from 1996 to 2003 when he was still the head of the Makati City general services department.

"Aaminin ko po, 'yun po ay bidding-biddingan o sinasabi nga po ay Moro-Moro bidding po," Aspillaga told Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV during the televised Senate hearing on the Makati City Hall II parking building.

Aspillaga said he was a member of the city government's bids and awards committee and he used to prepare procurement documents.

When he received purchase requests signed by Binay, Aspillaga said an attached written note already indicated the supplier who would win the bidding.

"Pamilyar naman po ako sa kanyang penmanship or handwriting kaya masasabi ko pong siya ang sumulat po noon," he said.

Aspillaga also claimed that biddings were also rigged during the term of the vice president's wife, Elenita Binay, as Makati mayor from 1998 to 2001.

The former official also admitted receiving monthly allowance worth P70,000 to P90,000 from Binay. Sometimes, the amount would be from P300,000 to P500,000.

Mario Hechanova, a former general services department head like Aspillaga, was the first to reveal that Binay allegedly gave about P200,000 monthly allowance to local officials to manipulate the bidding for government projects, including the controversial parking building.

Hechanova admitted receiving the allowance from Binay to ensure that favored contractors won the bidding.

Binay and his son, incumbent Makat City Mayor Erwin Binay, are facing a plunder complaint over the costly carpark building. They have denied benefiting from government projects, saying the allegations are politically motivated to malign them.

In a televised national address last week, the elder Binay belittled the witnesses' testimonies, saying they were only hearsay unsupported by evidence.

Losing bidder denies joining bidding for 'overpriced' building

Meanwhile, the testimony of another witness who faced the Senate on Thursday also backed up claims that project biddings in Makati City were rigged.

Alejandro Tengco, head of JBros Construction Corp. which supposedly lost in the bidding for the costly parking building, said they did not even participate in the bidding process.

He said the company never joined bidding for infrastructure projects in Makati and was not even qualified to bid for the controversial parking building.