Former Mexico Mayor Teddy Tumang urged Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. (3rd Dist.-Pampanga) to “step down as Senior Deputy House Speaker out of delicadeza” following the complaint lodged against him by a Mexico town village chief.
Tumang said Gonzales should step down as Senior Deputy House Speaker so that the people will not think that he was able to influence the integrity of Congress. “Dapat lang para magkaroon ng patas na imbestigasyon. For delicadeza dapat lamang siyang bumaba para walang masabi ang tao na naiimpluwensiya ang integridad ng Kongreso,” said Tumang.
Barangay Sto. Cristo, Mexico village chief Terence Napao, currently the president of the Association of Barangay Chairmen in Mexico town, has lodged graft charges against Rep. Gonzales, San Fernando City Councilor Aurelio Brenz; Aurelio III; Provincial Board Member Alyssa Michaela; and Aurelio Michaline, along with Zenaida Quiambao, company director, at the Ombudsman recently.
Three DPWH officials were also included in the graft charges and they were identified as Ignacio Evangelista, chairman of the Bids and Awards Committee; Anna Marie Tayag, BAC Secretariat; and Arthur Santos, BAC vice chairman.
Napao alleged that Rep. Gonzales and his family cornered infrastructure projects amounting to P611,577,718.40 allegedly in cahoots with some DPWH officials. The infrastructure are mostly flood-mitigating projects.
The Gonzales owned the construction firm A.D. Gonzales Jr. Construction & Trading Co., Inc.
Napao has earlier urged Gonzales to vacate the House Speakership to give way to an impartial investigation.
Tumang said less than P2 billion had been spent on flood mitigating infrastructure projects in Mexico town alone but said the district was still being hounded by floodwaters during the rainy season.
“Documented naman po ang complain ng presidente ng Liga ng Mga Barangay (Mexico). Makikita naman po sa dokumento na buung pamilya ay sila ang contractor doon sa SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission).”
“Ang alam ko kasi kapag flood control maganda ang pagkakakitaan diyan e. Ang alam ko si Punong Barangay (Terence Napao) ay mag rerequest pa ng physical audit, full blow investigation para mapatunayan na ang sinasabi ni ABC ay totoo,” said Tumang.
“Kasi sa mga program ng mga flood controls na iyan ay 6 meters yung sheet file. Pinutol ang mga sheet file, ginawang 3 meters nalang,” Tumang revealed.
“Kapag inimbestigahan ito lilitaw kung paano dinaya yung trabaho,” said Tumang. “Yung isang project ang alam ko P264 million, malamang ang sheet file doon mga P150 million.”
iOrbitNews is willing to publish the side of Gonzales and the rest of the respondents in the spirit of fairness.