

MANILA - House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr said Tuesday lawmakers averted a repeat of the "pork barrel" scam as allegedly masterminded by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles.

Contractor CT Leoncio, who allegedly has close ties with Cabinet members, cornered multibillion-peso projects in the Bicol region even if his firm was a single proprietorship, Andaya said in a privilege speech Monday night.

"Kung 'di ito ma-nip in the bud, in the making ito," he told House reporters.

(If this had not been nipped in the bud, this would be [a scam] in the making)

In his privilege speech, Andaya said Leoncio cornered projects in Sorsogon, Samar, and Catanduanes even if it was a single proprietorship operating in Bulacan.

"Papaano umabot 'yan diyan (How did he get there)? We have received information about a family tree connecting certain officials to these areas," he said.

Andaya explained that the contractor got billions worth of contracts but that he subcontracts the projects. He said the projects, whose price tags range from P20 million to P100 million, are all in "slippage."

"Lahat 'di pa complete, marami right-of-way ang problema, marami di siya naka-mobilize. That only means 'di talaga kaya ng single proprietor 'yan, imposible," he said.

(All are incomplete, many have problems with right-of-way, in many projects he was not able to mobilize. That only means a single proprietor can't handle that, that's impossible.)

Andaya said he would release the supposed family tree linking Leoncio to different government officials "in due time."

Asked if the contractor was connected to the Cabinet, Andaya said: “Puwede nga cabinet members eh."

(It could be cabinet members.)

Andaya, however, categorically said it would be difficult to link Leoncio to Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno. He also denied that Senator Francis Escudero, who hails from Sorsogon, has been linked.

House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo deferred to Andaya on his exposés.

”They're the ones who did the homework. My job is to move legislation forward, not to dictate what it is,” she said.

The diversion of lawmakers' Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) in the scheme allegedly masterminded by Napoles also involved billions of pesos in state funds.

PDAF has since been scrapped. Napoles and several former lawmakers are, meanwhile, on trial for graft and plunder charges.

Most recently, former Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr., among those tagged in the scam, was acquitted.

