Escudero denies involvement in flood control contracts linked to campaign donor

Senate President Chiz Escudero has denied any involvement in billions worth of flood control contracts allegedly secured by his campaign donor, Centerways Construction President Lawrence Lubiano.

"Wala akong kinalaman sa pag-identify, paggawa ng program of work, pag-bid, pag-award, pagbahay, pagbayad, pag-inspeksyon, ng anumang proyekto sa pamahalaan – sa Sorsogon man o sa labas ng lalawigan ng Sorsogon," Escudero said.

Centerways Construction was among the 15 contractors named by President Bongbong Marcos during a press conference on Monday as having cornered the most flood control projects nationwide.

Escudero urged lawmakers to be open to lifestyle checks, saying, "May ongoing, may ongoing, may batas na nagbibigay ng kapangyarihan sa pamahalaan na gawin yan. And I think everyone should be open to a lifestyle check when it comes to that.
Whether may allegation ng ganyan o wala. Basta sigurado ako, wala akong bahay sa Forbes o sa Dasmariñas at wala rin akong Rolls Royce o Ferrari. Kaya nga isa ako sa mga unang tumayo tulad ng pagsimula natin at pumalakpak nung may binanggit si Pangulo kaugnay sa corruption."

Later in the press briefing, Escudero suggested that all budget amendments proposed by senators be made public. He said he had practiced this when he chaired the Senate finance committee and recommended that current finance chair Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian adopt the same transparency measure.