Class suit eyed over flood control projects

Various multi-sectoral organizations are planning to file a multibillion-peso civil class suit over alleged anomalies in flood control projects in the country.

- By JANVIC MATEO

In an interview with radio dzBB yesterday, Ariel Inton, president of Lawyers for Commuters Safety and Protection, said they will start with the filing of a civil case for damages in Quezon City, where hundreds of flood control projects were discovered to have been implemented without proper coordination with the city government.

He projected that the civil case would amount to between P1 billion to P5 billion.

Among the respondents, he said, were the four lawmakers from Quezon City who were tagged by the Discayas as allegedly involved in the corruption scheme - Representatives Arjo Atayde (district 1), PM Vargas (district 5) and Marivic Co-Pilar (district 6), and former district 4 representative Marvin Rillo. The four have denied the allegations.

Inton said the class suit will also include the Discaya couple and their companies, former public works secretary Manuel Bonoan, local Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials, resigned Ako-Bicol representative Zaldy Co and former speaker Martin Romualdez.

"We can’t interfere with the plans of the government's prosecutorial bodies to file criminal cases (against these individuals)," he said in Filipino.