Escudero’s contractor-friend issued show cause order
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday issued a show cause order against Lawrence Lubiano, president of Centerways Construction and Development Inc., following his admission that he donated P30 million to Sen. Francis Escudero during the 2022 elections.
“We need to ask him questions in order to see the extent of his contribution, donation, at the same time, we want to know if he is the sole owner of the said corporation, or if he has partners, or if there are other stockholders in the company,” Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia told reporters.
The Comelec order asked Lubiano to explain why he should not be charged with an election offense as Section 95 of the Omnibus Election Code prohibits “natural and juridical persons who hold contracts or subcontracts” with the government to make contributions to candidates.
The same provision also says that it is “unlawful” for any person to solicit or receive any contribution from government contractors.
According to Garcia, the Comelec will first hold a meeting with Lubiano before speaking with Escudero.
“After the contractor, we will also write to the candidate who also admitted to receiving help from an individual who is a contractor, but his (Lubiano) contention is that he gave the donation in his private capacity,” Garcia said.
Last month, Escudero admitted receiving a P30-million donation from Centerways Construction, one of the top 15 contractors that bagged the majority of government flood control projects. He denied, however, helping the firm secure big-ticket projects from the government, describing Lubiano as his “longtime friend and acquaintance” from Sorsogon.
