In an interview, Sen. Lacson answered questions on:
– what to do with the P75B removed from the DPWH’s budget
– justice for landowners affected by RROW projects
Quotes from the interview…
On the P75B removed from the DPWH’s budget:
“Not necessarily delete lahat. Ang iba siguro ma-realign. If you recall noong (for 2017) tinanggal namin sa ARMM dahil may violation sa organic act, dinala namin sa free tuition even though di pa naipasa sa batas ang Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education, so nagkaroon ng P8.3B doon. This time P75B since nagkasundo-sundo lahat na senador unanimously na alisin sa DPWH dahil hindi kaya implement ng DPWH dahil di nila alam saan nanggaling o ano paggagamitan.”
On possible use of part of the P75B for slope protection:
“Sa akin lang ito, naisip ko, remember the BLISTT project sa Cordillera, walang slope protection. Basing on our computation sa Nueva Ecija ang 100-meter long road na nagkaroon ng slope protection na pinondohan ng 3 taon ng P900M, so sa computation ng DPWH which we do not agree, P44,000 per square meter ang slope protection. Nang pina-compute namin sa kakilala naming civil engineer sabi nga overpriced, computation nila P28,000. We are writing DPWH a letter para i-compute nila in coordination with MGB kasi MGB nakakaalam ng mga hazards, kung anong areas doon ang pwedeng malagyan ng slope protection and how much.”
“So sufficient ang pondo, kailangan ng tao ang BLISTT project. Bypass ito, makatipid ng travel time at ang mga farmers, ang kanilang produce madadala sa Baguio at ibang lugar pa roon nang mas madali ang transportation. But right now di passable. As I showed during the committee hearing ng DPWH lahat may landslide, daming issues. So di passable.”
“So iniisip ko if my other colleagues will allow kung magkano ang kailangan para maging passable and safe ang BLISTT project, ito ang Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Tublay, while ginastusan na ito ng 400M plus 800M plus 590M for 2019, di naman magiging passable at may namatay nahulog sa ravine dahil sa landslide, mas maganda ibalik namin sa DPWH kung magkano kakailanganin nila based on their reply to us, para maisagawa ang slope protection para pakinabangan ang kalsada sa Cordillera.”
“Kaya nga pagiisipang mabuti put into good use ang paglaanan kesa bayaan natin nariyan ang P75B na di alam ng DPWH paano gagastusin. Mauuwi yan sa unused, o babalik tayo sa dating problema na defective ang planning o walang planning at all tapos implement ang proyekto na di naman magamit.”
“I also showed to you during the committee hearings ang Sariaya Bypass Road na nag-start noong 2015 sinuspindi in 2017 kasi di magamit dahil sa issue ng ROW kasi di nababayaran ang mga tao.”
“Pasa-submit namin sila (DPWH) ng tamang paraan kung paano nila gagamitin sa slope protection. When I asked them during the committee hearing bakit pinabayaan nyo di kayo nag-consult sa MGB para hazards, loose soil, landslide, para ma-determine. Sagot sa amin ng Regional Office, ito sa transcript, when we inspected, it was solid rock. When we constructed it was not solid rock. So hindi pwede yan, kailangan science-based.”
“This time around we will not allow them to use their own computation based on the Nueva Ecija slope protection na gumastos sila ng P900M for a 100-meter-long road na computation nila is P44000 per square meter. Slope ito di linear. Based on our inquiry with the civil engineers, sabi nila P28,000 per square meter lang.”
On the meeting between DPWH officials and Batangas ROW claimants:
“Yesterday after I suspended my interpellation pinag-usap ko regional director ng Region 4-A at San Pascual Bypass Road ROW claimants. Nagkasundo sila, at least they found a middle ground kung saan as early as Friday may mase-settle. May mababayaran. Remember these people have been staying there for say 30 years or even longer. And yet dinaanan ng kalsada ang bahay nila di sila nako-compensate. And they have already submitted all the documentary requirements since 2017.”
“Kung nobody would take the cudgels for them, they would forever wait for their claims, ang bayad sa kanila, ang compensation.”
“May P250M sa appropriations sa GAA ng 2018 for payment of ROW sa project na yan. So nakakapagtaka. I told the regional director and reiterated my appeal to DPWH na instead of looking for problems and arguing their case they should look for solutions. And I’m sure may middle ground diyan na di sila magva-violate ng law, at the same time ma-satisfy nila ang claimants.”
On the P75B deleted insertion:
“Right now ako for one I’m already suspecting at least a big chunk of the P75B saan napunta, ito ang sinasabi P51.7B na ang P20B chopped into P60M per congressman. And the remaining P31B yan ang napunta sa farm to market roads, 2nd legislative district ng Pampanga, Camarines Sur, Andaya Highway. Yan ang P31B. may breakdown kami and I am going to present it tomorrow when I resume my interpellation.”
“We’re still validating it. I only suspect that because when they changed leadership sa House, tinanggal nila yan from previous leadership and allies nila nilipat naman nila sa bagong allies ng bagong Speaker. So hindi naman yan nanggaling sa GAB dahil di pa napapasa ang GAB at the time. Na-insert yan sa NEP. Ang P51.7B na yung P20B napunta sa sinabing equally distributed among 297 congressmen, ang butal na P31.7B may breakdown kami noon. So if we are able to confirm ang P51.7B was part of the P75B, yun na yun.”
“So ngayon hanapan ng hanapan. Even DPWH we’re asking them to submit to us a list of the items under the P75B incremental increase. They have not responded because they are still in the process of validating.”
“Medyo madugo yan pagdating sa bicam. But as long as the Senate will stand our ground and we’ll insist the P75B instead of allowing it to be retained by DPWH without knowing how to spend it, mas maganda ilagay natin sa may paggagamitan na makabuluhan na mas mapakinabangan ng nakararami. But we will make sure the 75B or part of that would not be a pork-to-pork realignment. Alam natin pork na yan although mahirap siguro i-identify assuming ang 51.7B nanggaling sa 75B nahati-hati na rin yan. Alam nyo itong GAA natin pagkagulo-gulo nakakasira ng ulo nakakangayat. Ganoon talaga ang labanan but we have to do our job. Kung i-criticize tayo at may makakaaway tayo so be it, that’s the way it goes.”
“Minamadali pero we cannot just pass a budget that’s haphazardly done. Mas mainam ma-scrutinize.”
On support from fellow senators on the P75B issue:
“Yes. More or less. May consensus doon. Now if some senators have reservation sa 75B di talaga ide-delete. Hahanapin natinn saan pwede dalhin. Sa akin lang, ang bottom line is, it should not be from pork to pork.”
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