Dureza lauds Sino contractor for continuing dam pr

DAVAO CITY — Presidential Assistant for Mindanao Jesus Dureza lauded the Chinese contractor of the Malitubog-Maridagao (Mal-Mar) irrigation project in Carmen, North Cotabato for continuing the job despite the kidnapping of four of its engineers.

Dureza said the China Import Export Technologies Inc. (Citech) has proceeded with the project in spite of security threats to its personnel.

Dureza admitted that the project actually has "negative slippage" but added that this is negligible and understandable given the peace and order problems in the area.

North Cotabato officials earlier prodded the government to tap the Army engineering brigades to finish the irrigation project after two of the four kidnapped Chinese engineers were killed during a military rescue operation in Maguindanao last Aug. 19.

"The Chinese firm has promised it will continue the project until it is completed," Dureza said.

Meanwhile, authorities are looking into reports that those who negotiated the ransom payoff for the release of Chinese engineer Zhang Zhung Quiang could have pocketed at least P3 million.

"It appears that only P5 million reached the kidnappers, instead of the P8 million that was agreed upon. This reportedly made the kidnappers furious and they took hostage the four other Chinese nationals who were facilitating Zhang’s release," Dureza said.

If these reports were true, he said those who brokered the negotiations for Zhang’s release have to account for the "missing" P3 million.

Zhang and one of the four Chinese negotiators-turned-hostages were killed when government troopers swooped down on the kidnappers’ lair in Maguindanao last Aug. 19.

Dureza said the government remains firm on its no-ransom policy in dealing with the kidnappers, believed to be members of the "Pentagon group" led by notorious kidnapper Tahir Alonto. — Edith Regalado