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Former city official: Bidding for controversial Makati building rigged
By AMITA O. LEGASPI, GMA News
(Updated 11:47 a.m.) A former Makati City government official on Thursday claimed the bidding for the alleged overpriced construction of Makati City Hall Building II was rigged.
At the resumption of the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing, Engr. Mario Hechanova, former head of the city's General Services Department and vice chairman of Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), said he was ordered by then-city Engineer Nelson Morales to rig the bidding for the project.
“Pinatawag ako ni city enginer, sabi niya: 'Mario, gaya ng dati alam mo na kung sino ang dapat manalo sa project na ito.' Sabi niya na Hilmarc’s Construction (Corporation),” Hechanova told the committee in response to the question of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
He said he knows that the order of Morales came from then-Mayor and now Vice President Jejomar Binay.
“Si. Engr. Morales parang alter ego na ng mayor. 'Pag siya ang nag-utos, alam namin na si mayor ang nag-utos, si Vice President Binay. Mabubuko siya ni mayor kung siya lang at siguro matagal na siyang tinanggal sa trabaho kung siya lang,” he said.
He said Morales was killed in Legazpi in September 2012.
The alleged irregularity in the construction of the controversial building has become a basis for a plunder complaint filed against Vice President Jejomar Binay, his son Mayor Junjun Binay who was a councilor back in 2007, and 21 other Makati City officials..
But during the first Senate hearing on the controversy, Binay's son, incumbent Makati City Mayor Junjun Binay, said an internal audit specialist from COA has already cleared the project of any irregularity.
At a press conference in Pasay City on August 27, VP Binay denied there were irregularities in the construction of the controversial building, and linked the ongoing Senate probe to an "upcoming survey."
The Vice President has insisted that the accusations of overpricing were political in nature.
VP Binay has repeatedly expressed his intention to run for president in 2016 and has topped recent surveys on presidential candidates.
Normal system?
At the resumption of the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing, Engr. Mario Hechanova, former head of the city's General Services Department and vice chairman of Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), said he was ordered by then-city Engineer Nelson Morales to rig the bidding for the project.
“Pinatawag ako ni city enginer, sabi niya: 'Mario, gaya ng dati alam mo na kung sino ang dapat manalo sa project na ito.' Sabi niya na Hilmarc’s Construction (Corporation),” Hechanova told the committee in response to the question of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
He said he knows that the order of Morales came from then-Mayor and now Vice President Jejomar Binay.
“Si. Engr. Morales parang alter ego na ng mayor. 'Pag siya ang nag-utos, alam namin na si mayor ang nag-utos, si Vice President Binay. Mabubuko siya ni mayor kung siya lang at siguro matagal na siyang tinanggal sa trabaho kung siya lang,” he said.
He said Morales was killed in Legazpi in September 2012.
He said it was the BAC that got the other bidder and ensured that Hilmarc’s won the bidding.
“Kami na kumuha ng kalaban nila. Kami na nag-prepare ng documents ng kalaban. Ginawa naming mas mataas ang bid ng kalaban nila. Ginawa ko ito bilang vice chairman ng Bids and Awards Committee,” Hechanova said.
Plunder complaint
Plunder complaint
The alleged irregularity in the construction of the controversial building has become a basis for a plunder complaint filed against Vice President Jejomar Binay, his son Mayor Junjun Binay who was a councilor back in 2007, and 21 other Makati City officials..
But during the first Senate hearing on the controversy, Binay's son, incumbent Makati City Mayor Junjun Binay, said an internal audit specialist from COA has already cleared the project of any irregularity.
At a press conference in Pasay City on August 27, VP Binay denied there were irregularities in the construction of the controversial building, and linked the ongoing Senate probe to an "upcoming survey."
The Vice President has insisted that the accusations of overpricing were political in nature.
VP Binay has repeatedly expressed his intention to run for president in 2016 and has topped recent surveys on presidential candidates.
Normal system?
During the hearing, Senator Aquilino Pimentel III noted that the difference in bids were only hundreds of thousands of pesos and not even millions.
“Para lang lumabas na mataas sila, para lang mas mataas sila at mas mababa ang Hilmarc’s,” Hechanova said.
He said the other bidders at the time J. Bros Construction and IT Construction.
He said these were legitimate companies but he cannot say why they allowed themselves to be used in the supposedly rigged bidding.
He said no one questioned the "rigging" as it was already a normal system in Makati.
“Walang nag-question. Kalakaran na po namin 'yan. Lahat po luto 'yan,” Hechanova said.
He noted that if there were other companies who would join the bid, they would disqualify them.
“'Pag me sumasali, tine-techninal namin sila. Tinatalo sa post qualification,” he said.
He even recalled that a representative of one company bidding for fire fighting equipment was detained by city officials in an elevator so he would be late in submitting his documents.
“May utos na hindi manalo 'yung isang bidder. Ikinulong namin sa elevator hanggang ma-late sa pag-submit ng bidding documents,” he said.
Asked if he received kickback in rigging the bidding, Hechanova said he did not but he claimed that the BAC received monthly allowance of P200,000 from Binay.
Cakes
Hechanova also said that it was Senator Nancy Binay, daughter of Binay, who supplied the cakes being distributed to senior citizens by the local government in Makati.
He said then-Mayor Binay scolded him when the payment for the cakes was delayed.
“Ano ba nangyayari sa cake ni Nancy,” he recalled Binay telling him.
Hechanova said he did not process the payment because the list of the cake recipients from the City Social Welfare Development Department was incomplete.
“'Yung iba walang pirma e dahil ia-account ako dun hindi ko pina-process 'yung bayad. Ang pina-follow-up po e 'yung bayad sa cake na dineliver sa senior citizen. Kinagalitan ako dahil tumatagal ang bayad,” he said. — LBG/KG/RSJ, GMA News
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