BAYAN-Bikol Dares Noynoy to Investigate Ako Bicol

Legazpi City (30 May) -- The militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Bikol (BAYAN-Bikol) issued a challenge to president -apparent Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino to immediately order a full investigation on  Ako Bicol party list (AKB) and the corporations connected to it such as Sunwest Construction and Development Corporation and Hi-Tone Construction and Development Corporation once he gets into Malacañang.

According to Tessa Lopez, public information officer of BAYAN-Bikol, "Since 2000 to 2008, these companies owned by Christopher and Elizaldy Co, Hi-Tone  and Sunwest while relatively new business entities are the top 3 and top 5 respectively of the Department of Public Works and High-Ways (DPWH) most favored contractors. They got around Php 6.9 billion from the DPWH and no wonder that AKB has a lot of money."

"Furthermore, data from the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) show that of the top 10 contractors in the DPWH database, companies' ranked No. 3 to No. 10 supposedly have a 'General Engineering - AAA' license category. This means they have obtained the track record and minimum '1,150 minimum overall credit points' required. What sticks out as inexplicable in the PCAB data are two entries - the date PCAB issued the top 10 contractors their first license, and how the contractors were classified by type of business," said Lopez.

"Sunwest Corporation, ranked No. 5 in the DPWH database, got its first license from PCAB in 1992, and was listed as a "corporation" even as it registered with the SEC only in 1997. Hi-Tone Construction, ranked No. 3, got its first license from PCAB in 1997, and was classified as a 'corporation' although no records could be found in the SEC confirming its existence as such." she disclosed.

"If Sen. Noynoy is sincere in his campaign promise to weed out corruption, then AKB, Sunwest, Hi-Tone should be on the top of his list to be investigated. It is obvious that [these] dubious companies cornered such big deals because they are close to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and that their party list group was formed to benefit her and their business interest. Now it must be noted that Christopher Co is the top nominee of AKB while his brother Elizaldy is its president. From all these accounts they are hardly marginalized and they should be disqualified. Sen. Noynoy should start strong [and] make an example of them and show that he is after anyone that is corrupt ," ended Lopez.

Meanwhile, BAYAN-Bikol has already filed a disqualification case against AKB on the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) last May 21.