Senate inquiry to have DPWH vet Cabral files
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said the panel will take a closer look into the so-called “Cabral files,” the documents left behind by the late Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, as the Senate blue ribbon committee on Monday resumes its inquiry into anomalous flood control projects.
Lacson said he will ask representatives of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to authenticate the supposed Cabral documents in his and other personalities’ possession.
“I will apply fairness. Any document the DPWH does not authenticate, including those in my possession, will not be made part of the blue ribbon committee’s records,” he said in a statement.
He stressed that allocables in the Cabral files, at least those motivated by commissions and kickbacks, are no better than planned or attempted robbery.
“If you submit a ‘wish list’ or allocables even if you have no assurance that it will be included in the final version of the General Appropriations Act … and if your motive is to collect commissions, then it may be likened to attempted, or at the very least, planned robbery,” he pointed out.
It was Lacson who sought a review of the government’s flood control projects a day before President Marcos also raised the matter in his State of the Nation Address on July 28 last year.
Lacson maintained that while there is no problem with lawmakers requesting funding for projects that are properly studied as part of their commitment to their constituents, this should not be done while the National Expenditure Program (NEP) is still being drafted by the executive department.
“For a congressman or senator to dip fingers into the NEP, that can be likened to attempted robbery if the intention [behind] the allocables is to get commissions,” he said. “Legislators have no say in the listing of projects in the NEP. The work of Congress is to introduce amendments to the NEP after it is submitted to Congress.”
Whether or not ex-DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan attends the Jan. 19 hearing, this will not stall the blue ribbon panel’s investigation.
Lacson warned, however, that Bonoan’s absence may hurt his case.
“It’s on him because he has to explain the submission of false data on grid coordinates to Malacañang. At Monday’s hearing, resource persons from the DPWH will testify. So it’s on him to air his side,” he said.
Lacson earlier alleged that Bonoan “deliberately” sent Malacañang incorrect grid coordinates of flood control projects used in the “Sumbong sa Pangulo” (Report to the President) website that “resulted in grossly inaccurate data involving some 421 ghost projects.”
Lacson said the committee also invited former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo to shed light on an alleged attempt by former police chief Nicolas Torre III to take him under custody.
The senator noted that while Torre is not invited to the hearing, he is welcome to attend and air his side.
Discaya’s denial
Lacson added that at least two resource persons are due to testify on the alleged purchase by former Speaker Martin Romualdez of a house and lot in South Forbes in April 2023, with contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II as “front.”
“I obtained copies of the deed of absolute sale and the checks used in the payment,” he said.
Lacson said that while Discaya was not named as the buyer in the sale, this buyer was a corporation whose substantial shareholder has “ties” to the former Speaker.
In the House of Representatives, Tingog Party list Rep. Jude Acidre on Sunday urged the public to rely on facts and evidence and refrain from repeating baseless claims regarding the corruption scandal involving flood control projects.
He issued the statement as he welcomed Discaya’s denial on Saturday that he purchased a Makati City property on behalf of Romualdez.
“Mr. Discaya’s denial is a welcome development that underscores the need for evidence-based discourse and may help stem the spread of unfounded allegations against those being named without proof,” Acidre said in a statement. —WITH REPORTS FROM KEITH CLORES AND INQUIRER RESEARCH
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