Feud between Drilon, Mejorada deepens

"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything."

Alexander Hamilton

By Alex P. Vidal

The bridge has been burned.

Now that the recent graft and plunder charges filed by former Iloilo provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada against Senate President Franklin Drilon, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson and other Department of Public Works and Highways officials have caught headlines nationwide, the feud between erstwhile friends Drilon and Mejorada is expected to escalate.

Mejorada filed the charges before the Office of the Ombudsman Wednesday in connection with the allegedly overpriced construction of the Iloilo Convention Center (ICC) in Iloilo City.

Both Drilon and Mejorada have been swapping criminal charges these past months.

Mejorada, Drilon’s former Twitter account handler, had earlier sued Drilon, et al for alleged overpriced of improvement project of the Promenade in Iloilo City implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Drilon fired back by filing a libel case against his former media consultant in Iloilo after Mejorada exposed the alleged ICC overpriced in his blog.

MALVERSATION

Mejorada also filed charges of malversation of public funds, violation of procurement law, anti-graft and corrupt practices act and dishonesty and grave misconduct against the Ilonggo senate president and other officials.

Mejorada’s charges stemmed from the allegedly overpriced ICC, Drilon’s purported P700-million pet project being carried out by Hilmarc’s Construction Corp., the contractor of the allegedly overpriced Makati parking building.

Mejorada insisted Drilon was behind the allegedly overpriced convention center. He was quoted in an interview over Radyo Inquirer 990AM as saying

“Siya po ang namuno nito. Siya ang nag conceive nito at siya po ang lumakad para sa project” (He led this project. He conceived this, and he arranged this project.)

“Mayroon akong matibay na dokumento kung paano nilitson o nilutong Macau ang bidding ng Iloilo Convention ni Drilon,” Mejorada disclosed adding that he has documents to prove that the supposed public bidding was rigged.

(I have strong evidence as to how Drilon rigged the bidding for the Iloilo Convention Center.)

The senate president, who hails from Molo, Iloilo City, allegedly set aside P200 million from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), P200 million from the Department of Tourism and P100 million from Malacañang’s Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), parts of which were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Mejorada claimed that an additional of P200 million was also funded by DAP.

COST

The cost of the construction ballooned from P192 million to P488 million, added Mejorada, a former president of the Iloilo Press Club.

The project was supposed to be concluded by March 2015, it was reported.

Aside from Drilon, Jimenez and Singson, Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority board director Mark Lapid, Public Work Undersecretaries Jaime Pacanan and Romeo Momo, DPWH Regional Director Edilberto Tayao, DPWH Iloilo Engr. Marilyn Celiz, W.V Coscolluela and Associates and Hillmarcs Construction Corp. also face charges.

Even if former Iloilo Governor Neil D. Tupas will interfere between Drilon and Mejorada, it appears they have severed their friendship.

It was Tupas who bridged the friendship between Drilon and Mejorada.

Iloilo pedestrian overpass ‘not friendly’ to elderly, PWDs

“The world worries about disability more than disabled people do.” Warwick Davis

By Alex P. Vidal

If we follow the law, contractors of the old pedestrian overpass in front of a giant mall at the Iloilo City Diversion Road in Mandurriao district should have been charged in court for violation of Republic Act 7277 or “An act providing for the rehabilitation, self-development and self-reliance of disabled persons and their integration into the mainstream of society and for other purposes.”

For several years since it was built, the old pedestrian overpass, which has been replaced by a new one that will be operational this year, did not have elevators.

It’s mind-boggling how engineers managed to pursue the project without anticipating some loopholes that would give them legal headache.

The structure was not friendly to elderly and persons with disabilities (PWD). And nobody cared; not until a new and better-equipped pedestrian overpass was built early this year to replace it.

The late House sectoral Rep. Art Borjal, a many-time Iloilo and Negros visitor, once told us he would file charges against building owners, public structures and their contractors who did not follow the law on Republic Act 7277.

“Even hotels and malls are mandated by law to build a special area for their customers and clients that are PWDs,” Borjal told us then.

He would have protested the contractors’ negligence in the old Diversion Road pedestrian overpass.

BARRIER-FREE

Section 25 on barrier-free environment of Chapter 6 on accessibility, states that “The State shall ensure the attainment of a barrier-free environment that will enable disabled persons to have access in public and private buildings and establishments and such other places mentioned in Batas Pambansa Bilang 344, otherwise known as the  Accessibility Law’. The national and local government shall allocate funds for the provision of architectural or structural features for disabled persons in government buildings and facilities.”

Section 26 on Mobility states further that “The State promotes the mobility of disabled persons. Disabled persons shall be allowed to drive motor vehicles, subject to the rules and regulations issued by the Land Transportation Office pertinent to the nature of their disability and the appropriate adaptations or modifications made on such vehicles; and Section 27 on Access to Public Transport Facilities states that “The Department of Social Welfare and Development shall develop a program to assist marginalized disabled persons gain access in the use of public transport facilities. Such assistance may be in the form of subsidized transportation fare. The said department shall also allocate such funds as may be necessary for the effective implementation of the public transport program for the disabled persons. The Accessibility Law,’ as amended, shall be made supplementary to this Act.”

DPWH

In a related development, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has decided to put up elevators at the new pedestrian overpass in the same area which would cost some P20 million. 

DPWH Regional Director Edilberto Tayao said

the new pedestrian overpass has its footbridge designed for the ease and convenience of PWDs and senior citizens.

“This is in keeping with the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons and Batas Pambansa 344,” the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Iloilo quoted Tayao as saying over the weekend.

PIA said Batas Pambansa 344 seeks to enhance the mobility of PWDs by requiring buildings, institutions, establishments and public utilities to install facilities and other devices.

Tayao described the new overpass, 50.235 meters long and three meters wide and costing P19,302, 321 as “PWD-friendly and the only biggest project so far that the agency has built for the sector.”

REDUCE

The structure intends to reduce traffic congestion in the area so that mall goers do not have to use the roads in crossing, according to the DPWH.

Tayao further said: “The city government is encouraging the private sector to contribute to the development and maintenance of the project, through public-private partnership.”

We are happy that the DPWH has finally realized the need and importance of building elevators in the new pedestrian overpass.

The new structure connects the giant mall to the other side of the road where the state-of-the-art Injap Tower is located.

It’s not yet too late to correct the past mistake. As the saying goes, “better late than never.”