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Sunday, April 24, 2005
Committee wants contractors to submit income tax returns
By Jay Dooma Balnig
HOUSE Committee on Good Government Vice Chairman Jesus Crispin Remulla wants Francis Clyde Construction and Melvin Requinto to present their authentic Income Tax Return (ITR) before them during the next hearing.
The directive of the committee came after allegations that Governor Niel Tupas used the said two firms as his dummies in the construction of New Iloilo Airport Development Project in Cabatuan, Iloilo.
The committee first questioned Tupas's granting of a quarry permit to Requinto despite the fact that the latter is engaged in a gasoline station business and considered not capable of providing construction supplies.
The committee found out that Requinto is not involved in any single construction supply business. His records revealed that he only owns a gasoline station in E. Reyes Street, Estancia, Iloilo.
The committee estimated the possible earnings of Requinto at P390 million out of the quarry operation.
The governor admits that the heavy equipment used by Requinto is owned by his (governor) "balaye," the M.S. Monstesclaro Construction based in Bukidnon, Mindanao.
Second, the committee wants the owner of Francis Clyde Construction, a certain Reth Zerrudo of Sara, Iloilo to produce his ITR during the next hearing.
They questioned the operation of Francis Clyde Construction in Barangay Cag-an, Anilao, Iloilo without being retrained by the governor despite the fact that the said firm operates even without an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) as required before the issuance of a quarry permit.
The committee will also investigate on allegations by Board member Manny Gallar that Tupas issued several quarry permits to other firms that are not engaged in the construction supply business.
On the other hand, Tupas denied all the allegations hurled against him.
As of Friday, he already conducted an investigation on who received the letter from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) recommending him to issue a cease and desist order against Francis Clyde Construction's operation in Anilao.
The DENR people allegedly forwarded the said recommendation latter last August 19, 2004, but until now, the governor failed to stop Francis Clyde Construction's illegal operations in Anilao.
(April 23, 2005 issue)
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