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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Visayas devider Dizcayas link party-list solon to flood control project kickbacks

Dizcayas link party-list solon to flood control project kickbacks

Published Sep 8, 2025 05:47 pm
ANG
ANG
ILOILO CITY – Rep. James “Jojo” Ang Jr. of Uswag Ilonggo party-list on Monday was named by contractors Pacifico and Sarah Discaya as among lawmakers and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials who routinely demanded kickbacks of up to 25 percent from government-funded flood control projects.
The Dizcayas identified the others as Terence Calatrava, former undersecretary of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas; Quezon City Rep. Patrick Michael Vargas, AGAP party-list Rep. Nicanor Briones, San Jose del Monte City Rep. Florida Robes, Romblon Rep. Eleandro Jesus Madrona, former Rep. Benjamin Agarao Jr., former Rep. Florencio Gabriel Noel, Occidental Mindoro Rep. Odie Tarriela, Quezon Rep. Reynante Arrogancia, Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo, former Rep. Teodorico Haresco Jr., former Rep. Antonieta Eudela, Caloocan City Rep. Dean Asistio, and Quezon City Rep. Marivic Co-Pilar.
In their testimony made during the third Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing into the anomalous flood control projects, the couple said they demanded 10 percent to as high as 25 percent of project costs. Payments, they added, were made in cash and carefully recorded in vouchers and ledgers showing the amounts, dates, and recipients.
Ang was identified days after his name was dragged into the controversy between Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste and former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Engineer Abelardo Calalo.
Calalo denied bribing Leviste and claimed it was Ang who instructed him to solicit donations from other contractors to support Leviste’s infrastructure projects in Batangas.
The DPWH official said in a counter-affidavit that he was merely following the instructions of Ang to collect donations.
Calalo’s lawyer Raymund Fortun told dZBB that the former district engineer met Ang three separate times last May and Ang also allegedly followed up with the former district engineer via Viber calls.
Ang and his camp cannot be reached for comments since Sept. 5.
He is the nephew of the owners of International Builders Corp. (IBC), the biggest contractor in Western Visayas region.
Before he was elected party-list congressman in 2022, Ang was a known representative of IBC and dealt with local government officials in Iloilo and the rest of Western Visayas.
A report recently released by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism listed IBC as among the Top 10 contractors of the country during the administrations of former President Benigno S. Aquino III and President Rodrigo Duterte.
During the Aquino administration, the DPWH awarded P11.49 billion in contracts to IBC from July 2010 to June 2016.
The DPWH awarded P5.2 billion in contracts to IBC during the first year of the Duterte administration from July 2016 to December 2017.
IBC was the winning bidder in many projects in the city and province of Iloilo lobbied by former Senate President Franklin Drilon, one of the key leaders of the Liberal Party (LP) during the Aquino administration.
IBC’s projects included the controversial and substandard Ungka and Aganan Flyovers, which are estimated to have costs around P1.7 billion.
While the Ungka Flyover was fixed, the Aganan Flyover remains incomplete after its construction was stopped in 2022.

Related Tags

Uswag Ilonggo Rep. Jojo Ang DPWH Flood control Sarah Discaya Pacifico Discaya
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