Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Antonio Lagdameo Jr. denies claim he meddles in the projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which were allegedly seen from the files of the late Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral of DPWH.
Secretary Lagdameo said his office is not an implementing agency, adding that it has no technical mandate to identify certain infrastructure projects nor exercise line-item authority over the DPWH’s internal budget listings.
“Any claim or insinuation suggesting otherwise is unfounded, false, and misleading,” SAP Lagdameo asserted.
Lagdameo further said that the allegations that his office is involved or has endorsed any item for budget consideration is mischievous and should be stopped as it is a product of unverified or misinterpreted information.
The controversy stemmed from the disclosure of Batangas Congressman Leandro Leviste that a list of 75 projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways tagged “OP (ES/SAP) as the alleged proponenents. The projects have a total amount of ₱8-billion including a ₱300-million street light project in his district. No names were mentioned who are the officials referred to in the Cabral file.
The congressman however clarified that he does not know who are referred to as “OP (ES/SAP)” that were tagged as the proponents of the projects, of which 60% were for flood control and slope protection projects, while 40% were for streetlight projects. Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Budget and Management Amenah Pangandaman had earlier resigned from their posts prior to the disclosure of the list.
Leviste said he shared the list after he received a new copy of the files of the late USec Cabral from another source, who secured the files from the DPWH.
Lagdameo, a personal friend of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos and grandson of Davao banana magnate, the late Don Antonio Floirendo, assured that he personally and officially supports transparency and accountability in government transactions including the ongoing investigations of cases relating to DPWH contracts for public interest.
SAP Lagdameo assured that his office will cooperate in any probe to ferret out the truths. He moreover said that it should be done in proper forum and that issues must be based on evidence and conducted in due process.
“Until then, the OSAP will not be distracted by speculation and will continue to discharge its duties in accordance with its mandate,” he concluded.
