Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon revealed that he spoke with Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla on Wednesday night, Oct. 15, about investigating a possible connection between the controversial Discaya couple and the construction firm owned by the father of Senator Christopher “Bong” Go.
The discussion followed the sudden withdrawal of cooperation by contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya from the ongoing probe of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) into alleged anomalies in flood control projects.
Remulla, in an online interview, said bluntly that he thinks “they’ve been protecting Bong Go, the joint venture they had with the CLTG, with the family of Bong Go”.
According to a Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) report, CLTG is owned by Go’s father and the half-brother. The firm had also bagged P4.6 billion worth of projects from the DPWH in the past decade, according to PCIJ.
“We are looking at connections between the Discayas and CLTG corporation, ‘yun ang usapan namin ni Ombudsman kagabi… noong nalaman siguro nya, because he was in Baguio, noong nalaman nya na ‘yun nga nagsabi ang mga Discaya na di sila mag-cocooperate, tinawagan n’ya ako,” Dizon told reporters at the ICI on Thursday, Oct. 16, ahead of the meeting among joint agencies of the government in a bid to recover assets of those involved in the anomalous flood control projects.
“Nag-usap kami at meron na kaming plano at meron na kaming mga gagawin sa mga susunod na araw to look at those specifically, at those contracts of the Discayas during the previous administration,” he added.
Dizon, who served various roles during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte, said he would not mind investigating Go, Duterte’s closest aide.
“That’s all immaterial, whether I work with someone or not,” he said.
“Any allegation of corruption needs to be taken to the end. and that is our job here. Kahit sino, sabi ng pangulo… Wherever the evidence will take us, it doesn’t matter,” he added. (Joseph Pedrajas)
