NOTORIOUS FLOOD control couple, Curlee and Sara Discaya submitted to the Blue Ribbon Committee this morning a list of congressmen, officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways and those from the executive branch who have demanded kickbacks from them in exchange for the billions of pesos projects that were either ghost, uncompleted, and were of substandard quality.
Their submission is meant to demonstrate their cooperation with the committee, in exchange for which they hope the Department of Justice would make them state witnesses under the government’s witness protection program.
It is not clear yet whether or not committee chair Sen. Rodante Marcoleta has extended them any assurance or privilege in exchange for their cooperation.
Curlee Discaya alleged that after securing government contracts for flood control, several officials of DPWH and lawmakers demanded their share or SOPs (standard operating procedure) from the couple.
The supposed “cuts” typically starts at 10 percent of the contract value, rising up to 25 percent. He said the payments were made in cash and documented through vouchers and ledgers.
He alleged that many DPWH officials mentioned in his list keep saying that the money was meant for Rep. Zaldy Co, chair of the House Committee on Appropriations, with an expected share of at least 25 percent.
He also claimed that Rep. Marvin Rillo repeatedly dropped the name of Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez as “his close friend” every time Rillo collects his share.
EXECS ON THE LIST
Topping the list from the executive branch is former Undersecretary Terrence Calatrava, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas; Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, regional operations in the Visayas, NCR and Region IV-B and worked 30 years as civil engineer with DPWH; Regional Director Eduardo Virgilio DPWH Region 5; Director Ramon Ariola III, Unified Project Management Office; District Engineer Henry Alcantara, DPWH Bulacan First District; District Engineer Aristotle Ramos, DPWH Metro First, Pasig City; DE Edgardo Pingol, dPWH Bulacan Sub-District Engineering Office; DE Michael Rosaria, DPWH Quezon Second District Engineering Office.
KOTONG-RESSMEN
In the list of congressmen requiring their cut from the Discayas were: Rep. Roman Romulo, Pasig City; Jojo Ang, Uswag Ilonggo Partylist; Patrick Michael Vargas, Quezon City; Juan Carlos “Arjo” Atayde, Quezon City; Nicano “Nikki” Briones, AGAP Partylist; Florida Robes, San Jose del Monte, Bulacan; Eleandro Jesus Madrona, Romblon; Benjamin “Benjie” Agarao Jr. , Laguna (4th district); Florencio Gabriel “Bern” Noel, An Waray Partylist; Leody “Ode” Tarriela, Occidental Mindoro; Reynante “Reynan” Arogancia, Quezon province; Marvil Rillo, Quezon City; Teodorico “Teody” Haresco Jr., Aklan; Antonieta Eudela, Zamboanga Sibugay; and Dean Asistio, Caloocan.
The couple also named Marikina City Mayor Marcelino “Marcy” Teodoro in the list of legislators on the take.
MAGALONG’S INSIGHTS
Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who was among the first to blow the whistle on anomalous flood control projects and the involvement of DPWH and congressmen in the mess, turned down the invite of Marcoleta to testify at the Blue Ribbon, saying he preferred to face first his critics in the House of Representatives, where he vowed to expose all those involved.
He said he would want to address questions raised by a parallel probe at the house about unnamed lawmakers allegedly earning kickbacks from bogus and substandard flood control projects.