Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Tuesday denied any allegations linking him to a Bicol-based contractor, Lawrence Lubiano of Centerways Construction and Development, Inc., involved in billion-peso flood control projects.
In a press briefing, Escudero dismissed any involvement in the identification, bidding, or awarding of government projects to one of the 15 contractors flagged by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. during a flood control budget press briefing.
He described the issue as part of a “demolition job” aimed at discrediting him and paving the way for the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte in 2026.
“Mayroong ‘demolition PR job’ na nakatuon laban sa akin,” Escudero told reporters.
“At tulad ng babala na isang kapwa ko senador, na ito'y gagawin upang tiyakin na maalis ako sa pwesto at nang pag-final muli daw yung impeachment, ay wala na ako dito pagdating ng February 6. Matagal pa ‘yun,” he added.
The controversy stemmed from a news report highlighting that Lubiano — one of Escudero’s campaign donors in 2022 — was among the top contractors in government flood control projects.
Escudero also confirmed that Lubiano was one of his campaign donors, with a P30-million contribution disclosed in official records.
He stressed, however, that there was nothing illegal about the donation and denied any involvement in the company’s government contracts.
“For the record, wala akong kinalaman sa pag-identify, paggawa ng program of work, pag-bid, pag-award, pagbayad, pag-inspeksyon ng anumang proyekto sa pamahalaan, sa Sorsogon man o sa labas ng lalawigan ng Sorsogon,” Escudero said.
Earlier, Marcos had cited that 15 contractors received a combined P550 billion in flood control funds since 2018, with Centerways allegedly securing P5.4 billion, or less than one percent of the total.
“Ang tanong ko, bakit pinagtuunan ng pansin ‘yun? Yung 1% pa talaga? Hindi yung 99%? Hindi naman ako kontraktor. Hindi ako bahagi ng anumang negosyo kaugnay sa construction o supply sa pamahalaan mula noong pumasok ako sa gobyerno noong 1998,” Escudero stressed.
The Senate leader emphasized that most of the projects awarded to the Sorsogon-based contractor were secured before his return to the Senate in 2022, when he was still governor of the province.
He insisted he had no role in the planning or approval of national government projects, adding that his campaign donor’s political contribution was duly declared and publicly available.
Pro-impeachment of VP Sara behind the demolition job
Escudero alleged that those behind the smear campaign were lawmakers from the House of Representatives who support efforts to remove him from his post to ease the path for Duterte’s possible impeachment.
"‘Yung mga may gusto ng impeachment, yung marahil nasaktan, tinamaan o na sapul sa mga talumpati at mga ginagawa at pinagsasabi ko nitong mga nagdaang araw. Klaro naman yun. ‘Yung ang impormasyon nakakarating sa amin," he said.
"Pero buo ang paniniwala ko na nakikita nila, they can see through this, at nakikita nilang paninirang lamang ito, at parte ng demolisyon job na pinagdaanan hindi lamang ng inyong lingkod, pinagdaanan ng ilan ding sa mga kasamahan ko na pumosisyon laban sa impeachment ng gusto ng ilang mga grupo, sektor at tao," the Senate President added.
Moreover, Escudero pointed out that, based on data presented by the President, most of the funds allegedly obtained by the Sorsogon-based contractor were awarded before he returned to the Senate in 2022.
He said this proves that the article in a local media outlet linking him to the projects was “malicious” and deliberately timed to associate his name with the issue despite containing no claim that he committed any wrongdoing.
He added that the insinuations and innuendo remained, which is why he decided to address the matter publicly.
Escudero challenged critics to investigate officials who are actual contractors or direct owners of companies receiving government projects, reiterating his call for stricter laws to prohibit such arrangements up to the fourth degree of consanguinity.
