THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Office of the Ombudsman are looking into the links between embattled contractor couple Pacifico and Sara Discaya and the CLTG Builders, which is owned by the father of Senator Christopher “Bong” Go.
In an interview with reporters, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said he is already in coordination with Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla regarding the matter, which came after the Discayas’ refusal to cooperate in the ongoing flood control anomalies investigation by the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI).
He said they intend to look into the projects involving the Discayas and the CLTG from 2016 to 2025.
“We talked with Ombudsman (Crispin) Remulla last night about this. And now, we are already working to look at the documents from the previous administration,” said Dizon.
In a radio interview, Remulla said the Discayas, whose business grew during the previous administration, refused to disclose ties with the CLTG Builders.
“Simpleng-simple ‘yung tanong, ‘yung nangyari sa joint venture nila sa CLTG Builders sa Davao. Ayaw naman nila sabihin eh. Ang sabi lang, wala daw sila. Kahit kailan na wala silang alam. Basta ginamit lang daw ‘yung lisensya nila. Mahirap naman yung ganoon,” he said.
(The question is very simple — what happened to their joint venture with CLTG Builders in Davao? But they don’t want to say anything. They just said they weren’t involved, that they didn’t know anything about it. They claimed their license was just used. That kind of explanation is hard to accept.)
“Selective. Sabihin nila lahat. Nasakop nila nung panahon ng dating administration. Doon sila lumaki. Kaya marami silang nakausap na tao diyan at marami silang dealings,” he added.
(Selective. They should tell everything. They gained influence during the previous administration. That’s where they grew. That’s why they have many connections there and were involved in many dealings.)
The Discayas earlier admitted entering into a joint venture deal with the CLTG Builders.
The Discaya-owned firms reportedly cornered around P46 billion worth of infrastructure projects under the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, higher than the P31-billion worth of government infrastructure contracts it bagged from 2022 to 2025.
Earlier, Go, the long-time close aid of Duterte, denied involvement in his family’s businesses, noting that he himself will push that they be held liable for any irregularities in the implementation of government projects.
Dizon said they are also preparing the charges to be filed against the Discayas before the Sandiganbayan.
He said among the possible cases were graft and malversation. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)