ROXAS: SENATE SHOULD FOCUS ON FIXING BIDDING MESS
MERCY'S LIE EXPOSED ANEW BY WORLD BANK

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas today said the Senate inquiry into the World Bank investigation into alleged rigging of bids for a multi-million dollar road project should address issues raised by the lending body, such as the rigging of the bidding process and the failings of the Ombudsman, rather than blaming it for baring illegal practices in government transactions.

At the same time, Roxas said Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez obviously lied to the Senate in its hearing on the issue yesterday after the World Bank revealed it had given the Ombudsman the complete report and evidence of bid rigging for the first phase of the $150-million National Roads Improvement and Management Program (NRIMP).

"Yung nagbabala na may usok hindi dapat kagalitan. Dapat hanapin agad-agad 'yung sunog mismo at patayin ito. Aksaya sa panahon na tatanungin pa kung baka malabo lang ang paningin nila o di kaya tanungin pa kung bakit nila sinabi na may usok (The one who warned about the fire should not be reprimanded. What we should do is to find the fire and put it out. We will waste time if we ask if they saw it correctly or why they revealed it)," he said.

Senate economic affairs committee chairperson Sen. Miriam Defensor had summoned the WB representative in the Philippines to show proof of the Bank's findings of alleged bid rigging in road projects.

Roxas said Gutierrez lied when she blamed the World Bank for her inaction on the international lending body's findings of corrupt practices in the bidding of public works projects.

"Sino'ng hindi maaasar dito kay Ombudsman Gutierrez? Sa harapan naming mga senador at milyon-milyong nakasubaybay sa radyo at TV kahapon, ang lakas ng loob niyang magsinungaling para pagtakpan ang pagpapabaya nila sa kasong ito (Who will not be frustrated with her? In front of the senators and the millions of listeners and TV viewers, she had the nerve to lie to hide her failure)," he said.

Roxas noted the World Bank's statement that aside from giving her the complete report and the evidence, it offered further assistance to the Ombudsman in investigating the case.

The World Bank, in a statement released Thursday, had said the Referral Report that it furnished the Office of the Ombudsman in November 2007 "was an offer to begin a cooperative relationship between the Bank and the investigative agency, if the investigative agency so desires."

It added that "a member country government that has received a Referral Report and is seeking to investigate the case can always ask the Bank for additional information. In this case, the World Bank has offered follow-up assistance to the Ombudsman in conducting her investigations. Both the Referral Report and the documentary evidence are now in the hands of the Office of the Ombudsman."

"Sirang-sira na ang pangalan ng bansa natin sa mundo. Malinaw sa bagong pahayag ng World Bank na nagsisinungaling si Mercy. Inupuan niya ang resulta ng imbestigasyon ng WB. Ano pa ba ang gusto niya, isubo sa kanya sa ginintuang kutsara ang ebidensiya ng World Bank? Ano pa man ang sabihin niya, wala na talaga tayong kumpiyansa sa kanya (Our country's name has been ruined before the world. It is clear with the World Bank statement that Mercy lied to the nation. She sat on the WB findings. Does she want the WB to serve her their evidence on a silver spoon? Whatever else she says, the country has lost its trust on her)," the Ilonggo senator said.

"Ano'ng pang magagawa mo sa ganitong klaseng opisyal? Hindi mo mapilit na gawin ang kanyang trabaho, hindi mo mapag-resign, ginagago pa tayo nang harap-harapan. (What else can we do with an official like this? We cannot pressure her to do her work. She does not want to resign. And she is making a fool out of all of us.) Merceditas, have mercy on us. Spare us from your shamelessness," he added.