The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will serve subpoenas to Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Davao Regional Director Juby Cordon and three construction companies as part of its inquiry into flood control projects in Davao City, NBI Director Melvin Matibag said Monday.
The companies identified by Matibag are Genesis88 Construction, Inc., Gemma Construction, and Agong Construction. He previously said Genesis88 obtained P1.9 billion worth of flood control contracts within the district represented by Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte.
“Ise-serve [yung subpoenas] today,” Matibag said in a Viber message to the Inquirer.
Cordon’s subpoena, dated September 17, directs the DPWH official to appear at the NBI office in Pasay City on September 24. The bureau has yet to make public the subpoenas intended for the three contractors.
The investigation covers 100 flood control projects in Duterte’s district, with the NBI identifying irregularities in 47 based on documents obtained from the DPWH. Matibag previously described several findings, including a suspected nonexistent project, work allegedly failing to meet standards, and multiple projects carrying different titles but sharing a single set of coordinates.
“Merong ghost (project), may substandard, merong isang coordinate lang with five budgets na iba-iba lang yung title,” Matibag said.
According to Matibag, around six projects had already shown apparent issues at the time of his earlier interview. The NBI had initially indicated that subpoenas would be issued to 51 people, but the bureau subsequently narrowed its first round of subpoenas to Cordon and the three construction firms.
Duterte has said he supports examining the projects in his district but called for the investigation to be conducted without selectivity. He also raised the question of whether the NBI would examine flood control projects in the district represented by Matibag’s wife, Laguna 1st District Rep. Ann Matibag.
Matibag said Duterte could submit evidence concerning projects in the Laguna lawmaker’s district for the NBI to examine. “he is free to file a case so that we can investigate it properly.”
