DILG investigation of bid-rigging in BFP ‘70 percent complete’
The investigation into the alleged bid-rigging of Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) officials in the procurement of fire safety equipment is now “70 percent complete,” according to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla.
“We’re maybe 70 percent complete. At least for the few officers, 70 percent,” Remulla said on Wednesday, stressing that they continue to gather evidence.
He earlier said that the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will file cases before the Ombudsman against an initial batch of 20 senior officials from the BFP National Capital Region office, but he still needs additional information from the Philippine National Police.
“I have to get the full report of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG). By Friday, I think, they’ll give it to me,” he said, adding that the evidence they gathered reach back for years.
“It has become deep. We’ve reached a few years back now. We’re looking at the supplies of every building we’re investigating, how many times they’ve purchased, whom they bought it from, how much they bought it for,” he told the Inquirer in a phone interview.
P1-B offer
At the same time, the DILG secretary bared that he and his brother, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, were offered P1 billion to “quiet down” the ongoing investigation into flood control projects, but they turned it down.
He added that the bribe offer was made two weeks ago at a private meeting with a friend, who also knew one of the personalities implicated in the scandal.
“This is just one client. One suspect,” Remulla said. “I don’t know them. I’ve never spent time in Congress, right? I’ve always been in local government, so I don’t really know them that much. They have friends who are also my friends.”
He said he and his brother were asked “to quiet down the case … so they will not be indicted” but they declined the offer.
Some 26 individuals have so far been charged over the flood control scandal: 16 over a P289.5-million project in Occidental Mindoro and 10 over a P96.5-million project in Davao Occidental.
The Mindoro case involves former House appropriations chair and resigned Ako Bicol party list Rep. Zaldy Co, who remains at large along with seven of his coaccused.
The Davao case involves controversial private contractor Sarah Discaya, who surrendered to the government last December, along with nine of her coaccused ahead of an arrest warrant.
‘Bato’ update
In a separate development, Remulla bared that authorities already know the whereabouts of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa who has not showed up at the Senate since the International Criminal Court (ICC) supposedly issued a warrant for his arrest for his role in the previous administration’s drug war.
“[He is just] around the periphery of Davao City,” Remulla said. “He’s with his friends. He’s just going around. He’s on a motorcycle just going around.”
But there has been no official acknowledgement of the purported warrant and the DILG secretary said the authorities cannot act without the ICC warrant.
