DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Davao Congressman Paolo Duterte has been challenging anyone to inspect his 51-billion flood control projects in the first district. Makabayan ACT Teachers Party-list Representative Antonio Tinio just did that, finding 4.35 billion worth of questionable contracts linked to the Discaya couple and Duterte allies.
Tinio revealed this in a press conference at the House of Representatives on November 5 that his group’s study of the data from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) found “serious red flags”.
“Our analysis reveals a pattern of irregularities that demands explanation and accountability. There are indicators that point to ghost projects, double funding, location changes, gross overpricing, and contracts awarded without clear specifications,” he said.
Tinio said 80 of the 121 projects, or two out of three, in Duterte’s first district are questionable, as he said he will file a resolution seeking an inquiry on these flagged projects.
Duterte received a 51.8 billion budget allocation for his district from 2020 – 2022, way beyond the usual allocation of 6 billion per district annually. It was considered the biggest allocation in Philippine congress history. <https://davaotoday.com/politics/cong-pulong-duterte-got-p51-b-budget-in-three-years/>
Tinio pointed out 54 out of 68 implemented projects along Davao River worth 2.65 billion, while in the Matina River, 26 out of 28 implemented projects worth 1.70 billion exhibited irregularities.
The congressman pointed to these red flags in Duterte’s flood control projects from 2020 to 2022 :
- Total Overlap: Two contracts worth 135.14 million funded construction on identical river sections, with one 2019 project covering a section of the Davao River, while a 2020 project covered the same section plus additional areas.
- Double Funding: Two contracts worth 115.09 million were awarded to different contractors for the exact same project location, such as the project entitled “Revetment along Davao River at the Davao River Bridge upstream section.”
- Changed Location and Shortchanging: Nine contracts worth 484.04 million were implemented at different locations than those specified in the General Appropriations Act (GAA), often with significantly reduced coverage. For example, one GAA item allocated 30 million for 375 meters of revetment, but the actual contract covered only 120 meters—a shortfall of 255 meters—while charging 161,250 per meter instead of the budgeted 80,000.
- Awarded Contracts Without Details: A total of 62 contracts worth 3.44 billion were awarded without proper specifications (such as exact location and length) in official records, making verification and accountability difficult.
- Awarded Contracts Not in the GAA: Ten contracts worth 622.57 million were implemented despite having no corresponding line items in the approved national budget.
Tinio identified the following contractors which received huge amounts of money:
- Rely Construction & Supply Inc – five contracts totaling 400.85 million.
- Legacy Construction Corporation – seven contracts worth 350.99 million.
- Abu Construction – eight contracts amounting to 321.30 million.
Duterte connection
Two companies owned by the controversial Discaya couple, who are now subject to investigation for kickbacks and unfinished projects, are also questioned.
St. Timothy Construction received contracts in the first district totaling 96,498,186. Their other company Alpha and Omega Construction clinched contracts worth 90,481,680.
The Discayas inadvertently admitted in a Senate Blue Ribbon hearing they received huge contracts with DPWH starting in 2016 during Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency.
Contractors linked to the Dutertes have also secured contracts.
Alfrego Builders, operated by Senator Christopher ‘Bong” Go’s half-brother Alfred Go, partnered with Rely Construction on a project worth 96,497,408.
Genesis88, owned by Glenn Escandor who is one of the top donors of Vice President Sara Duterte’s campaign in 2022, secured contracts totaling 29,400,000.
Duterte called Rep. Tinio’s exposé “nothing but a desperate and ignorant attempt to drag Davao into another circus of baseless accusations.”
He added that Davao City has nothing to hide as “every single flood-control project along the Davao and Matina Rivers was implemented, inspected, and validated by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Commission on Audit (COA).”
The first district congressman dared the party-list representative to visit Davao and ask residents if they had experienced flooding.
But floods had struck Davao City hard on occasion in the past two years after heavy downpour. (davaotoday.com)
