(UPDATE) SENATE President Francis Escudero subpoenaed five contractors and three executives of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to compel them to attend the probe on tainted flood control projects.

Senate subpoenas 8 DPWH officials, contractors in flood control probe

The senator issued the subpoenas to require their presence on Sept. 8 for the second public hearing on Senate Blue Ribbon investigation on the reported irregularities surrounding the flood control projects nationwide.

The subpoenas were issued for Pacifico Discaya II, managing officer of Alpha and Omega General Contractor and Development Corp.; Darcy Kimel Respicio, general manager of Darcy & Anna Builders and Trading; Sally Santos, manager of SYMS Construction Trading; Maritoni Melegrito, managing officer of Elite General Contractor and Development Corp.; Edgardo Saggum, manager of Eddmari Construction and Trading; Jaypee Mendoza, chief, construction division, Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office, DPWH; Brice Ericson Hernandez, former assistant district engineer, Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office, DPWH; and Juanito Mendoza, accountant III, Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office, DPWH.

Escudero also approved the subpoena duces tecum addressed to Commission on Audit Chairman Gamaliel Cordoba for the submission of the fraud audit highlights of the agency in its review of the flood control projects of the DPWH and a copy of the responses of the respondents to the findings.

The Blue Ribbon Committee started Monday its investigation into the reported ghost or substandard flood control projects which were being blamed for widespread flooding in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

“No stone should be left unturned in the inquiry into these highly questionable flood control projects that cost taxpayers in billions of pesos, and caused nightmares and sufferings for many Filipinos,” Escudero said.

“Let the axe fall on all the personalities found guilty of scheming, conniving and carrying out fraudulent acts in the guise of legitimate taxpayer-funded flood control projects,” he added.

Meanwhile, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano urged the Office of the Ombudsman to conduct lifestyle checks on public officials to serve as a deterrent against corruption.

The senator made the proposal during the interview conducted by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) from Aug. 28 to Sept. 2 of candidates vying to become the next Ombudsman.

Cayetano serves as the Senate’s representative to the JBC in his capacity as chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights., This news data comes from:http://lmp-tljg-xqdk-uyp.erlvyiwan.com

“I’d really like for you to consider lifestyle checks. Because if there’s none, there’s no deterrent,” Cayetano told one interviewee.

He said that lifestyle checks help verify whether a public official’s actual lifestyle aligns with the declared net worth and asset accumulation in the official’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.

Cayetano raised the need for public servants to live simply and avoid ostentatious displays of wealth amid corruption issues hounding some government officials involved in the implementation of flood control projects.