Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin on Friday turned the tables on Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, exposing that the lawmaker himself has more than half a billion pesos in budget insertions for 2025 that went to projects cornered by two firms now under investigation for ghost flood-control undertakings.
Garbin made the revelation after Tiangco repeatedly accused Ako Bicol’s first nominee, Rep. Zaldy Co, of supposedly inserting funds in the 2025 national budget.
He said the allegations were baseless, misleading and reeks of hypocrisy, considering Tiangco’s own projects are tied to contractors being probed in the ongoing hearings on anomalous flood-control projects.
“Speaking of insertion, kasi ‘yung binabato sa atin sa Ako Bicol specifically kay Cong. Zaldy, but since I’m one of the Ako Bicol representatives, ganun na rin yung pagkaka-involve eh, we need to respond to it,” Garbin said in an interview, stressing that Tiangco has no moral high ground to speak about transparency.
Garbin reminded the public that Tiangco’s complaints during the House Infra Comm proceedings had already been dismissed because the projects he was questioning were not even part of the anomalies that are the subject of current investigations into ghost projects.
“Pero speaking of insertion, eh siya meron siyang insertion na sobra sa kalahating bilyon and out of the P529 million na insertion niya on 2025, 65%-70% nito ay flood control sa Navotas,” Garbin said.
Garbin further pointed out that two of the contractors awarded projects in Navotas – St. Timothy Construction, accused of substandard project, and SYMS Trading Construction, behind alleged ghost project, – were already flagged by the President himself and in the Infra-Comm hearing for their involvement in questionable or non-existent works.
Their names had repeatedly surfaced in President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s own inspections of “ghost projects.”
“And ako’y namamangha kung bakit doon sa pagdinig ng Infra-Comm, nandun na yung dalawang contractor na awarded sa kanyang distrito, and this two contractors are being investigated right now because of ghost projects. I’m referring to St. Timothy and SYMS Trading Construction,” Garbin said.
He cited one specific case involving St. Timothy, owned by the Discaya family, where even the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) wrote to Tiangco asking for his assistance in project implementation, highlighting the extent of his entanglement.
“So sa tingin ko when you speak of transparency and accountability, including the insertions of 2025, eh dapat imbestigahan nya muna ‘yung sarili nya yung bakod nya bago lumipat dun sa iba na as he said hindi naman na-release,” Garbin said, taking direct aim at Tiangco’s attempts to deflect blame.
The Ako Bicol lawmaker stressed that the national budget cannot be pinned on a single legislator, as it goes through both chambers of Congress and is ratified by a bicameral conference committee.
By his own admission, Tiangco was part of the process that approved the 2025 budget.
“Dun sa record na ‘yun GAA and bicameral conference ratification kasama siya sa nagboto. Hindi ko maintindihan ngayon salita siya ng salita at pinagtutuunan niya ng pansin na kung saan inaprubahan siya ng Kongreso kasama siya sa bumoto,” Garbin said, questioning the hypocrisy of Tiangco’s stance.
Garbin also clarified that questions on insertions, their legality and constitutionality are already pending before the Supreme Court, but said he was compelled to speak out because of Tiangco’s persistent insinuations that were distorting public perception.
“We are covered by sub judice rule, napipilitan lang kaming sumagot dahil masyadong marami siyang insinuations,” Garbin said.
He then drove home his strongest point, exposing the reality of Tiangco’s allocations and their connection to anomalous projects.
“Pero ito since na-mention niya na rin sabihin ko na rin ‘yung totoong insertion niya. Sobra sa kalahating bilyon. Yung iba na sinasabi niya, hindi na-release pero ‘yung kanya na-release kaagad at dahil na-release kaagad nakuha kaagad nung dalawang contractor na involved sa ghost project kaya sinasabi ko i-focus nya muna yung kanyang attention sa kanyang bakuran,” Garbin said.
