Drilon accusers raps based on Wikipedia, whispers
MANILA, PhilippinesThe former Iloilo official who filed a plunder complaint against Senate President Franklin Drilon over the allegedly overpriced P700-million Iloilo Convention Center (ICC) on Thursday admitted he relied on Wikipedia and whispers of architects to back his claims.
Manuel Mejorada told the Senate blue ribbon committee that he had come to unravel a complex fraudulent transaction that led to the violation of the Government Procurement Reform Act.
Reading a prepared statement, Mejorada also alleged that the construction of the P492-million first phase of the project was overpriced.
Monitoring Drilons speeches and statements, the former Iloilo provincial administrator said he had observed the price of the project skyrocket from P300 million to P1 billion.
Do we just swallow it like a bitter pill when we know fully well that government procurement reform places emphasis on reducing costs? he told the hearing where he faced Drilon.
When confronted by senators, Mejorada said that Drilon himself had announced that the building cost P30,000 per square meter at its original price tag of P300 million.
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV pointed out to Mejorada that at least in the case of the allegedly overpriced P2.28-billion Makati City Hall Building II, there was an acknowledged appraiser.
Online sources
To this, Mejorada responded: Im an investigative journalist. I rely on public records, especially online sources.
Asked for a round figure on the overprice, Mejorada said: The original information that I obtained about the project which was gathered by various sources during the briefing held during the unveiling for Iloilo Convention Center, and its in Wikipedia, too, based on published sources, is 6,400 square meters. Thats what I used in computing that at P679 million to complete phase 1 and 2, this would reach P106,226 per square meter.
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Drilon accusers raps based on Wikipedia, whispers