00:00Meanwhile, the debut session of the House Infracompanel's oversight works saw a Bulacan District Engineer admit responsibility in proposing failed and fictitious projects in the NEP and utter negligence in not checking at all the status of construction or lack thereof of these projects.
00:16And as Zarmela Las Moras reports, the hearing ended in a clash between two lawmakers over summoning a sitting congressman with alleged links to the flood control project mess to be a resource person in the hearings.
00:27Former Bulacan First District Engineer Henry Alcantara admitted that he was the one who signed the contracts for the questionable flood control projects in Bulacan that were uncovered by President Ferdinand R. Marcus Jr. himself.
00:44During the first hearing of the House Infrastructure Committee, Alcantara confessed that he did not personally inspect the projects before the completion certificates were paid for and signed.
00:53Because of this, several lawmakers could not help but express their disappointment.
00:59So paano po nangyari yung? Ba't nabayaran po? Eh wala naman po kahit na isa. Ghost nga po eh.
01:04Do you believe you are responsible for that?
01:06Actually po, ang negligence on my part, inamin ko po may kakulangan ako.
01:12Again, again, again, again, again, again, again.
01:14Alcantara also acknowledged that he could potentially face charges, as it was also revealed during the hearing that he was the one who actually proposed the projects, which is why they were included in the National Expenditure Program.
01:27So walang politiko na involved dito. Kayo po ang nag-propose na ito.
01:33Yes, Your Honor.
01:34Former DPWH, Secretary Manuel Bonoan, also attended the hearing, although he had to leave early. Nonetheless, he made this clarification.
01:44Sir, do you still maintain na hindi po kayo involved sa any corruption kahit po nag-resign po tayo?
01:48Hindi po. I can shout. Hindi po ako involved.
01:52Five out of 16 contractors summoned by the joint panel failed to attend the hearing. That's why the Infracom decided to issue subpoenas to them.
02:00Prior to this, tensions also rose several times among the lawmakers themselves.
02:05First, regarding the issue of conflict of interest.
02:08Akbayan Party's representative, Shell Jokno, insisted that the hearing must not result in a whitewash and emphasized the need to ensure that no conflict of interest exists, a concern that was eventually resolved.
02:20A written disclosure undertaking that there's no conflict of interest of any member relating to any subject of this inquiry will be submitted to your respective committees within five working days.
02:36Is Congressman Jokno satisfied with this requirement, please?
02:41Very much so, Mr. Chair. Thank you.
02:44Meanwhile, when Caloocan 2nd District Representative Edgar Erice moved to invite to the hearing the former Budget Chairs of Congress,
02:51including former Senate Finance Committee Chair Grace Poe and former House Appropriations Committee Chair Sal Dico, tensions flared once again.
02:59This time, it was between House Deputy Speaker Janet Garin and Navota City Representative Toby Tshanko.
03:05Let us not make the investigation personal. Let us all work together so that in the 2026 budget, while we are ongoing the deliberation, let us identify yung mga singit na flood control projects, yung mga cat's eye na landja dyan pa rin at hindi pa rin natatanggal.
03:25Let us do our job by putting a permanent seal to dollies to all these anomalous things.
03:31Sabi nyo kanina, kahit sino masagasaan, wala tayong sasantuhin, kahit congressman, kahit senador.
03:38Eh kung ang congressman hindi pa pwedeng maging resource person at hindi natin pwedeng patestify under oath,
03:44eh di ibig sabihin sa usapang to, exempted ang congressman.
03:48Come sec, come sec, can you show this? Para lang sabihin di ako nasubento.
03:51Mr. Chair with two courtesies.
03:52Wait, I have the floor.
03:53I have the floor.
03:55I have the floor.
03:56No, Mr. Chair.
03:56I have the floor.
03:57Just to, on the record, please, please.
03:59On the record, Mr. Chair.
04:00I have the floor.
04:01To ease the tension, the hearing was briefly suspended and when it resumed,
04:05congressman Erice deferred his earlier motion.
04:08Melales Moras from the National TV Network for a New and Better Philippines.
