Palace asks Czech envoy to prove extort claim
July 19, 2013 11:15 pmMalacañang on Friday urged Czech Ambassador Josef Rychtar to prove his claims implicating Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) officials in an extortion attempt on a Czech company who was trying to land a contract with the Metro Rail Transit (MRT).
News reports, first published by The Manila Times, revealed that officials of the DOTC, MRT and the Czech firm met during the time of secretary Manuel Roxas.
The Czech ambassador said Roxas’ men asked from $2 million to $20 million from Inekon, a Czech train-manufacturing company and a bidder for the supply of trains for the MRT 3.
In a press conference, Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda said that the government is ready to probe the alleged extortion try if evidence is presented.
Unsubstantiated reports had earlier linked the President’s sister Ballsy to the extortion attempt, all because she and her husband had gone on vacation in the Czech Republic. The reports were eventually proven to be false.
”Our standard response is, give us the evidence we will investigate,” Lacierda said. ”If you look at the story there are no quotes. There are no quotes from the Czech ambassador that’s why it’s important to say—there was a mention of the meeting on July.“
”We are asking the Czech ambassador to—as in any accusation—present us evidence and we will investigate,” he said.
Lacierda denied that Czech-based Inekon was blacklisted in MRT project.
In April, Lacierda said Transportation Secretary Emilio Abaya met with Rychtar and encouraged the Inekon group to bid for the 40 coaches for the MRT-3.
But he said the group purchased bid documents but did not submit their bid.
”The first issue alone was Inekon blacklisted is already not true. Inekon was not blacklisted,” he said.
”There is no reason for us to doubt that this administration purpose is to level the playing field,” Lacierda said, noting that all the transactions are transparent.
”You can always ask the Cabinet secretaries of all the transactions and, like I said, Secretary Jun Abaya is willing to answer,” he said. “I think it’s fairly obvious that their department is being dragged. So it behooves them to issue on their own.”
”The DOTC projects are transparent. You can ask Secretary Jun Abaya. Jun Abaya is a very transparent Cabinet Secretary,” Lacierda added.
Abaya confirmed that Inekon has not been blacklisted.
“There is no blacklist. There is simply no truth to the claim,” said Abaya.
In fact, when Rychtar met with the transport chief in April 2013, Abaya requested him to relay to Inekon that the DOTC was encouraging the firm to participate in the bidding for the MRT project.
During that meeting, Rychtar also raised some concerns regarding the bid, and even requested Abaya to be cautious about the issue.
“We at the DOTC express in the strongest possible terms our commitment to fight corruption at all levels. We will take all the necessary steps to uncover the truth behind these allegations, which remain unsubstantiated at the moment,” Abaya said.
Fight corruption
“Opening the project to bidding erases doubts as to any favoritism. I personally felt that the Inekon proposal—which was never formally submitted to the DOTC and which amounted to around $3 million per LRV—could make it appear that favors were being made,” Abaya said.
Notably, the approved estimate for DOTC’s bid was only $1.8 million per LRV, around $1.2 million per LRV less than the indicative amount in the Inekon proposal.
Abaya said he always had authority from President Benigno Aquino 3rd to bring in his own people to DOTC, but that he has found no need to replace the existing team when he came aboard last year.
“Having worked with the current DOTC Undersecretaries, Assistant Secretaries, and members of our Bids and Awards Committees, I vouch for their integrity and good work ethic,” he said.
Ambassador dared to show proof of extortion
July 21, 2013 9:57 pmMalacañang is confident that allegations of extortion surrounding the government’s Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT) project will not affect the public’s perception on the Aquino administration’s purported campaign against corruption.
Palace spokesperson Edwin Lacierda over the weekend said that the exposé of the Czech Ambassador Josef Rychtar would not tarnish the government’s “tuwid na daan” (straight path) advocacy.
“Why should it? Every time there is an issue on corruption we have always asked the party to present us evidence,” Lacierda said.
“It is no different just because an ambassador said it,” he added.
The Palace spokesperson urged anybody who has any charge or claim of corruption to present evidence so that Malacañang could investigate.
“We have embarked on a campaign against corruption and, therefore, we will investigate all allegations of corruption provided that there’s evidence that will be submitted to the investigating body,” he said.
”That’s the only request that we have always maintained. That’s the standard request that we have always maintained,” Lacierda added.
He also maintained, “There are men and women in government; the President, foremost among them, is determined in this fight against corruption.”
Rychtar earlier revealed that there were irregularities involving a Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT) project.
The ambassador accused Transportation Undersecretaries Jose Lotilla, Rene Limcaoco, Catherine Gonzales and Assistant Secretary Jaime Feliciano of demanding $30 million in exchange for the approval of the Czech proposal.
The allegation initially included President Benigno Aquino 3rd’s eldest sister, Maria Elena “Ballsy” Cruz, and her husband Eldon. The Palace had denied this.
Meanwhile, Lacierda official asked the ambassador to cooperate with the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) led by Secretary Emilio Abaya, who initiated investigations on the said allegations.
”It requires every person, including the Czech ambassador, to submit allegations of corruption—to submit evidence to prove these allegations, and that’s what due process is all about, and that’s the reason why we urge the Czech ambassador to cooperate,” he said.
”We are asking the Czech ambassador . . . as in any accusation, present us evidence and we will investigate, “ Lacierda added.
The Palace earlier allowed the DOTC to probe the allegations. Documents had also been forwarded to the Ombudsman by former DOTC secretary Manuel Roxas 2nd to allow further investigations.
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