MANILA, Philippines — The in-laws of Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno allegedly received tens of millions in commissions from government contracts funded from huge sums he supposedly allocated to the province of Sorsogon.
“Aremar Construction, which is owned by the in-laws of Secretary Diokno, cornered billions of pesos worth of projects in Sorsogon using dummy contractors, who deposited at least P70 million worth of kickbacks in its back account,” House of Representatives Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. said yesterday.
He said his proof consists of five bank deposit slips of “different dates and different construction firms.”
“The deposit slips clearly indicate that the deposits are proceeds from DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) contracts, none of which Aremar won through bidding. These are the facts confronting Secretary Diokno. He and his family members must explain these to the (House) committee on rules and to the Filipino people,” he said.
The Hamors of Sorsogon own Aremar Construction. According to Andaya, Romeo “Jojo” Sicat Jr., who is married to Diokno’s daughter Charlotte Justine, is an incorporator of Aremar.
Sicat is a son of Sorsogon Vice Gov. Ester Hamor, whose husband Edward is mayor of Casiguran town. The mayor is another incorporator of Aremar.
Sorsogon received P10 billion in infrastructure funds last year and is allocated an additional P6 billion this year. Casiguran was given P325 million in flood control money.
Andaya claims Diokno inserted a large part of the funds in the national budget. The budget secretary denies the accusation and has asserted that he did not favor his in-laws, their town or their province.
The rules committee, which the majority leader heads, is spearheading an inquiry into what congressmen call as multibillion-peso flood control scam under the Duterte administration.
It held its opening hearing in Naga City on Wednesday, during which Andaya presented a Land Bank deposit slip showing a transfer of P11 million to Aremar’s account.
Andaya said his panel intends to invite Diokno and his in-laws to its next hearing, which the committee will set tomorrow.
“Now that Secretary Diokno and the people behind Aremar Construction have begun talking to the media to address the issues raised during the House public hearing in Naga City, I deem it my duty to give them the proper forum,” he said.?He said aside from the budget secretary, the committee would invite Mayor Hamor, Vice Governor Hamor, Aremar president Maria Minez Hamor, Martin Aber Sicat, Maria Charisma Sicat, Edmon Bautista and Sicat and his wife Charlotte Justine.
He added that his panel would like to know from Charlotte Justine, who is a professor at the University of the Philippines, if her annual statement of assets, liabilities and net worth included her husband’s Aremar shares and income.
Andaya assured Diokno and his in-laws that they would be given enough time “to speak freely so they can clarify the issues linking them to the flood control scam.”
He urged them to bring documents to support their statements, since they would be confronted with evidence gathered during the Naga City hearing and other pieces of proof volunteered by contractors.
He said Diokno would also be asked how billions in flood control funds were inserted in the national budget “without passing through the legal process and without the knowledge of DPWH Secretary Mark Villar.”
Diokno has denied that there is a flood control scam. He claimed that the P75.5 billion he had admitted to adding to Villar’s budget was requested by the DPWH and that the list of projects to support it came from the agency.
Villar has not said much about these allegations.
Andaya’s accusations of payoffs are reminiscent of the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam. Former senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr. and other lawmakers are charged with receiving hundreds of millions in kickbacks from the use of their pork barrel funds.
Enrile, Estrada and Revilla are aiming for a Senate comeback in the May elections. Ironically, surveys show the three are potential winners.
On Friday, the Hamors, through lawyer Ryan Figueras, denied any wrongdoing.
Figueras said there is no law prohibiting the use of dummies. He said if Andaya believes that Aremar’s owners violated the law, he should include the supposed dummy contractors in any case he would file.
He said the House leader was employing scare tactics on the Hamors, who he added “have not committed anything wrong,” except their “accidental relation by affinity to his real target – Sec. Ben Diokno.”