Duterte bares names of congressmen, congresswomen linked to corruption

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night bared the names of House members who have been linked to alleged corruption related to infrastructure projects.

Duterte also relieved from their posts district engineers of the Department of Public Works and Highways who are involved in the corrupt practices alleged before the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission.

The House members named by Duterte were:

•     Occidental Mindoro Representative Josephine Ramirez-Sato
•     Former Ifugao Representative Teodoro Baguilat Jr.
•     Quezon City Fifth District Representative Alfred Vargas
•     Misamis Occidental Representative Henry Oaminal
•     Isabela Fourth District Representative Alyssa Sheena Tan
•     Northern Samar Representative Paul Daza
•     Quezon province Representative Angelina 'Helen' Tan
•     ACT-CIS Partylist Representative Eric Yap
•     Bataan Representative Geraldine Roman

The district engineers singled out were Lorna Ricardo, De Marlyn Inguillo, Anna Lee Manzano, Carol Lyn Abinales, Editha Babaran, and Edmundo De Luna.

He ordered all of them to vacate their posts by Tuesday noon.

Duterte made clear that the graft allegations against the lawmakers had yet to be proven.

“I just want to assure everybody that ‘yung pagbasa sa pangalan ninyo is not a condemnation or an indictment that you are guilty of something,” Duterte said.

“Do not take it as a gospel truth na totoo talaga ito. Lumabas lang ito sa investigation ng PACC (Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission).”

Lawmakers react

Reached for comment, Sato said the accusation was "without any basis and grossly unfair."

"There are no ghost projects in my province and I am not involved in any corruption in any government project! I invite tjem to investigate all the projects in my province!" Sato said.

Baguilat said he would no longer be helping farmers sell produce if he took kickback money from government contractors.

"'Yung meron ebidensya na nag-mananita at lumabag sa batas ay promoted. 'Yung wala naman ebidensya na kumuha ng kickbackm, tinira sa primetime TV. I am aggrandized," Baguilat said on Twitter.

Daza took solace in Duterte's remark that the allegations against the lawmakers was not "gospel truth."

"The President said the names to be read may not have any evidence. I'm 100% sure this was the handiwork of my local political opponents to feed wrong libelous info to the PACC," Daza said in text message.

Tan on Tuesday denied she is involved in corrupt activities and said her “conscience is clear.”

She then dared PACC Commissioner Greco Belgica to come visit Gumaca and see the Gumaca Bypass Road project himself “if they are serious on their campaign against corruption. Wag mag base sa sulat ng isang anonymous at tanungin ay ang DPWH hindi ako. Common sense naman po sana.”

GMA News Online is trying to get reactions from the other lawmakers named.

Kickbacks?

Duterte said there were allegations that the lawmakers he named were either receiving kickbacks from construction projects in their localities or owned construction companies that benefitted from their projects.

He also asked DPWH Secretary Mark Villar to give him a list of all district engineers in the country after claiming that several of them worked in connivance with congressmen for corrupt activities.

“I will reorganize the assignments. Ikutin ko kayong lahat… I-reshuffle ko silang lahat, baliktarin ko tapos baliktarin ko ulit,” Duterte said.

Last month, Duterte said he received information that several congressmen were allegedly receiving kickbacks from projects but refused to name them because he did not have jurisdiction.

Belgica also drew flak for not naming the congressmen he claimed were linked to corruption in the DPWH.

In his latest address, Duterte said he changed tune after realizing that it was the public’s right to be informed of possible corruption.

“The public should be aware that there is no hard evidence… Hindi ito ebidensiya, kaya lang lumabas ang mga pangalan nila. Kailangan kong sabihin sa mga tao or else I’ll look stupid,” he said.

In October, the President ordered a Department of Justice-led task force to probe the entire government for corruption.

Duterte said he had so far terminated 72 staff of the Bureau of Customs and another 62 personnel from the Bureau of Immigration.

“Marami na akong sinibak ang sa PhilHealth. There will be another round of dismissal, kinukumpleto lang nila ‘yung investigation,” he added. “Sobrang exasperated ako sa corruption ng gobyerno.” —NB/KG, GMA News