Senator Raffy Tulfo is looking for a Senate Blue Ribbon committee investigation into the alleged corruption within the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) which led to unfinished infrastructure tasks.
In a privilege speech Tuesday, Tulfo mentioned that there was a P121-billion allotted finances for NIA from 2019 to 2022. However, there are allegedly infrastructure tasks which have but to be accomplished and a few building that has but to begin even with notices to proceed.
He then talked about the alleged awarding of contracts that didn’t bear correct public bidding.
“This is an undeniable red flag of institutional corruption. We give these contractors the people’s tax money and they just give us falsified reports of their accomplishment,” Tulfo mentioned.
GMA News Online has sought remark from National Irrigation Administration chief Eduardo Guillen and can publish the NIA’s aspect as soon as it’s accessible.
According to Tulfo, some paperwork had been despatched to his workplace which confirmed that NIA was given by its contractors an accomplishment report which is way from the actual standing of the venture.
He mentioned at the least 4 contractors had been allegedly awarded totally different contacts by NIA even when they’ve a report of not finishing their tasks.
Several “blacklisted contractors still received projects from NIA after they changed their company name, Tulfo said.
Apart from “failed and uncompleted projects,” Tulfo mentioned NIA additionally has ghost tasks in Mindanao which quantity to round P890 million.
“There seems to be a wide-scale corruption scheme that has persevered for a lot too lengthy,” he added.
As the finances season is approaching, Tulfo urged his colleagues to assist his name to analyze NIA.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri mentioned the Senate should examine if these tasks had been carried out and the way they had been carried out earlier than they sort out the nationwide finances for 2024.
“Maybe we can add an agency within the Senate to look into the matter wherein magpadala tayo ng tracker teams para makita kung ito bang projects na ito ay natutupad, nako-construct or guniguni po natin at nawala na ang pera,” Zubiri mentioned.
“ I am willing to take it a step further if our colleagues will agree then maybe we can ask some of our staff to come up with an office, like a small office to help our [Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office] to assist us when we pass the budget na meron tayong konting accountability, particularly with these agencies with questions of corruption,” he added. —NB, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
