MANILA – The Senate has issued multiple subpoenas as it prepares to resume its investigation into alleged irregularities in flood control projects, with lawmakers moving to compel testimonies and secure official records linked to the so-called “Cabral files.”
In a Viber message to reporters on Friday, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said he had issued 12 subpoenas ad testificandum to require the appearance of individuals identified as resource persons in the ongoing inquiry.
Those subpoenaed include Carleen Yap-Villa, Gerald Pacanan, Arjay Domasig, Orly Guteza, Maynard Ngu, John Paul Estrada, Mark Teksay, Gerald Opulencia, resigned lawmaker Zaldy Co, Commission on Audit commissioner Mario Lipana, former education undersecretary Trygve Olaivar and former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan.
Sotto said a subpoena duces tecum was issued to the DPWH, directing Secretary Vince Dizon to submit official documents relevant to the Senate inquiry.
The issuance of subpoenas comes ahead of the resumption of hearings by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Jan. 19, as confirmed earlier by the panel's chairperson, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson.
Lacson said the committee would issue a subpoena duces tecum to secure documents linked to records left by the late former DPWH undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, which lawmakers believe are crucial to clarifying alleged flood control anomalies.
“We are issuing a subpoena duces tecum to Secretary Vince Dizon with the end view of consolidating all the files including but not limited to what the late undersecretary Cabral left before she died and which are confirmed to be in the possession of the Department and which the Blue Ribbon Committee needs to further enhance our inquiry and investigation,” Lacson said.
He said the committee intends to obtain documents directly from the DPWH to consolidate records and rely on verified, original sources, stressing that official documentation remains the priority of the investigation.
Lacson also disclosed that he received information alleging that Bonoan submitted incorrect grid coordinates for thousands of flood control projects to Malacañang, data that were uploaded to the “Sumbong sa Pangulo” website and allegedly resulted in inaccurate listings, including hundreds of supposed ghost projects.
Lacson said the DPWH is now attempting to reconcile inconsistencies by cross-checking records from its multi-year planning and scheduling system, project and contract management application, and other intact databases.
The senator said the committee would seek clarification on persistent reports involving the alleged purchase of a property in Makati City, as well as claims that some witnesses, including those referred to as the “BGC Boys,” may have recanted or are planning to recant their earlier testimonies.
Further clarification will likewise be sought from former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo regarding the circumstances surrounding an alleged attempt to take him into custody, including the purpose behind the move. (PNA)