Bewildered BBM claims Duterte’s projects

The disastrous results of the just concluded midterm elections had a very serious impact on President Bongbong Marcos. He plotted to impeach Vice President Sara with his cousin and political tutor, Speaker Martin Romualdez, and had former President Rodrigo Duterte arrested and quickly flown to The Hague, where he now languishes.  

His sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, who obviously got the brains of their father, described the arrest of Duterte as illegal and dubbed it a kidnapping.  She filed administrative and criminal charges against the plotters before the Ombudsman. 

And now, coming from the political battleground bleached with the defeated senatorial candidates he personally endorsed, Marcos has meekly sought a reconciliation with his predecessor and his family. 

There is nothing wrong with that awakening, but it should come with repentance and acts of justice. Otherwise, it is nothing but a display of weakness and, worse, from the misconception of being President, he offers an opportunity to those against him to come aboard and join him as he navigates his ship in the rough seas. 

But the ship, full of rats and roaches, is listing. Those he thought were with him had jumped ship. 

Marcos then realized and admitted that the nation was dissatisfied with his performance. He blamed it on a communication problem.  (It’s a surprise how Undersecretary Claire Castro can stomach the attribution.) So Marcos doubled up as his own communications secretary. 

And that is when another tragi-comedy happened and nobody from among his close-in staff bothered to correct him.

Just a few days ago, he appeared on TV and, without batting an eye, claimed the Metro Manila Subway project was his. Marcos may not be aware, but even his subalterns were laughing their stomachs out. 

Lately, he made another atrocious claim that the bulk water project of the Davao City Water District (DCWD) was also his. His ignorant rah-rah boys are flaunting it on social media. 

Now, I will not dismiss this falsity as it is very personal to me. Way back in 1987, as co-chairperson of the Infrastructure Committee of the Regional Development Council, I authored the resolution approving the DCWD’s request to fund a feasibility study to tap the Tamugan and Panigan River top water as the DCWD’s alternate source of water.  

It was not until 2012 that DCWD, with all the necessary data on hand, worked on obtaining the water rights, the approval of the tribal council, and DCWD chairman Ed Bangayan elevated the water utility plan for a bulk water project to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).  

The multi-billion-dollar project, the biggest single investment in Mindanao at the time, was to be bid out as a Swiss challenge. 

(In 2014, I was appointed a member of the board of DCWD by then Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.)  

Following the process, J. V. Angeles Construction Corporation was awarded the project.  Because of the immensity and cost of the project, NEDA directed JVACC to look for a joint venture partner and the latter chose Aboitiz InfraCapital. 

Together they formed a corporation known as Apo Agua Infrastructura Incorporated, Apo Agua for short. 

The DCWD finally signed a partnership agreement with Apo Agua, an auspicious event held at the Marco Polo Davao and witnessed by Mayor Duterte. 

The Bulk Water Project of the Davao City Water District consisted of two parts. Part A was to be undertaken by Apo Agua. This consisted of a weir in the Tamugan river, a desilting complex, a hydropower plant that would siphon water all the way up to the water treatment infrastructure and laboratory. Apo Agua also laid down no less than 70 kilometers of giant main distribution pipes to various water reservoirs of DCWD spread throughout the communities in the three districts of Davao City.    

The DCWD was tasked with undertaking Part B, which consisted of replacing the old and small distribution pipes throughout the city and putting up reservoirs at strategic distribution points.

The completion of the project was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic that did not spare the construction crew, and then later by the intramurals between the Aboitiz group and JVACC. 

In December 2023, Apo Agua started supplying 300 million liters per day to DCWD.  An excerpt of the speech of Apo Agua operations head Shake Tuason follows:

“An undertaking of this magnitude wouldn’t have been possible without the strong support of our key stakeholders, who all had a hand in completing the Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project. We are immensely grateful to the local government of Davao City from Mayor Duterte to the city council, to DCWD led by chairman Ed Bangayan, and our dedicated team at Apo Agua for their unwavering commitment and hard work in making this vital project a reality.” 

Marcos was not present anywhere in the bulk water project history of DCWD and Apo Agua. I’m just setting the record straight.