Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. has questioned why Davao City continues to experience floods despite a P51 Billion allocation for infrastructure development, including flood control projects, under the Duterte administration.
“I think he received P51 billion in the three years that he was a congressman during his father’s time,” Abante told Bilyonaryo TV in an Aug. 29 interview.
He was referring to Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, son of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte.
The Manila solon stated that the huge amount was allocated during the second half of the former president’s six-year term.
Abante refuted the younger Duterte’s claim that there were no flood control structures collapsing in Davao City, saying, “Well, that is very good, no? But I was told that there are about 250 areas in Davao City that were actually flooded. I do not know if it had subsided immediately. But it is flooded.”
However, he clarified he was not accusing his House colleague of any wrongdoing.
“As far as I am concerned, I am not accusing him of anything. I have never accused him of any ghost project. I have never accused him of any substandard project,” he claimed.
Abante said he did not like the statement of Duterte’s brother, acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, that the investigation ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. into failed flood control projects was just a public relations (PR) stunt.”
The acting mayor should ask his brother what happened to the billions in infrastructure funds, including flood control appropriations, he added.
“I was just telling the public that his brother, the acting mayor, was actually blaming the administration na ito this is a PR stunt only. So I said, Why don’t you talk to your brother, who received that much amount of money, to find out what happened to the flood control projects that he had. P51 billion yan,” he stressed.
The flood control investigation to be conducted by the multi-committee House panel chaired by Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon will begin tomorrow (Tuesday) and will cover Davao City and the other areas in Mindanao.
“I would be thinking that he’s going to start with Benguet… or Bulacan… then he goes to Davao City. That is what we have talked about,” Abante said.
He said he welcomed the promise of Baguio City Mayor Magalong to name senators and congressmen allegedly taking huge commissions from flood control project contractors.
He said House probers intend to invite Magalong as a resource person.
“I would like to tell Mayor Magalong to wait because your time (to testify before the House) will come actually,” he said.
