Contractor denies direct dealings with Romualdez, Co amid kickback allegations

Government contractor Curlee Discaya clarified that he did not have any direct transactions with House Speaker Martin Romualdez and Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co.

Discaya's clarification followed his previous allegation in a Senate hearing suggesting Romualdez and other congressmen were involved in a corruption scheme for kickbacks from government infrastructure projects.

During a House of Representatives hearing, Discaya stated that the names of Romualdez and Co were mentioned to him by contacts, not through direct dealings.

He suggested that politicians might have been using the names of Romualdez and Co to gain leverage, but could not definitively confirm if kickbacks were directly received by them.

In a prior Senate hearing, Discaya identified congressmen who demanded 10% to 25% as their share from flood control project costs.

Discaya also stated that Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) representatives often mentioned that kickbacks from flood control projects were to be delivered to Co.

New names to surface in the widening controversy over alleged flood control anomalies are Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, who were allegedly receiving at least 30 percent kickback for every project.