00:00Meanwhile, despite pumping stations worth nearly 100 million pesos, residents in Tondo, Manila revealed these were barely used since installation.
00:08The contractors linked to names earlier flagged by President Marcus Jr. and Pasig Mayor Vico Soto now face scrutiny
00:14as the BIR begins probing alleged ghost projects and possible tax violations in this report.
00:21More than five pumping stations were built along Estero de la Reina in Tondo, Manila.
00:26Different companies served as contractors to these pumping stations and according to the Department of Public Works and Highways or DPWH,
00:33the cost of each project ranges from 90 million to 100 million pesos.
00:37Last week, President Ferdinand R. Marcus Jr. released the list of companies that secured flood control projects in the country.
00:43Included in the top three are Alpha and Omega General Contractor and Development and St. Timothy Constructions.
00:49Pasig Mayor Vico Soto pointed out on social media that these companies are actually owned by the same person.
00:54In his post, Mayor Vico Soto alleged that his political rival, the Diskaya clan, runs two of the firms including St. Gerard Construction, another top contractor in the Philippines.
01:05Based on the DPWH website, one of the pumping station projects along Estero de la Reina was awarded to Alpha and Omega Contractor.
01:13This is the company mentioned by Mayor Soto in his post as owned by the Diskaya family with a project cost of 96 million pesos.
01:20When we asked residents living near Estero de la Reina, most of them said that the pumping stations there have only been used once or twice aside from a booster pump under Alpha and Omega.
01:31PTV News is still trying to get a statement from the companies mentioned.
01:54We also visited a pumping station along Recto Manila and DPWH personal were present and even showed us that their pumping station was working and according to them, it is being used daily.
02:05Meanwhile, the Bureau of Internal Revenue or BIR is planning to investigate the alleged ghost projects for flood control including the contractors involved.
02:12Una-una, titignan natin yung mga tax compliance dahil yan naman ang sakop ng or saklaw ng authority ng BIR.
02:19So titignan natin yung naging tax compliance nitong mga contractors patungkol dyan sa mga proyekto na yan at overall tax compliance nila.
02:27Pag sinabing ghost project, wala naman talagang ginawa.
02:30So ibig sabihin yan, walang ginastos patungkol sa proyektong yan at binayaran siguro sila pero walang ginastos sa project na yan.
02:38So dapat wala silang matidisallow yung mga expenses.
02:41Joshua Garcia from the National TV Network for a new and better Philippines.
