Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo "Pulong" Duterte on Tuesday expressed openness to an investigation into flood control projects in his district, following a request from Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio to probe alleged anomalies in projects worth ₱4.4 billion.
In a statement, Duterte made it clear that he is open to any investigation regarding the flood control projects in Davao City’s 1st District and insisted that he has "nothing to hide or fear."
“Una sa lahat, I welcome the investigation. Wala tayong tinatago, wala tayong tinatakbuhan, at wala tayong kinakatakutan," Duterte said.
"Kung may imbestigasyon ang ICI, that is very much welcomed. Mas mabuti nang klaro ang lahat kaysa puro sigaw sa media," he added.
Duterte emphasized that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is responsible for designing, awarding, and implementing the projects. He also assured that he will submit all documents he possesses to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to clarify the issue.
“Naging congressman ako noong 2019. Pero hindi ibig sabihin ako ang nag-design, nag-award, o nag-implement ng lahat ng proyekto mula 2019 hanggang 2022,” he said.
He stressed that he has no role in contracting, engineering, or signing notices of award, saying, “Ako pinupuntirya mo kung di ka ba naman bobo. Di ako member ng House Appropriations Committe at di ako nagtatrabaho sa DPWH."
“Lalo na di ako congtractor. Hindi ako engineer ng DPWH. Hindi ako pumipirma ng Notice of Award,” he added.
Duterte also criticized what he described as repetitive investigations, noting that the ICI has previously coordinated inspections with the Philippine National Police (PNP), Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) across the district.
He also questioned why other districts with flood control projects worth billions of pesos are not being investigated with the same intensity.
"Kung totoong objective si Tinio, bakit hindi niya sabay-sabay hinahabla ang mga distrito na may bilyon-bilyong flood control anomalies sa buong Pilipinas?," he said.
"Bakit ako lang? Bakit Davao lang?" the lawmaker emphasized.
Duterte underscored that he has actively coordinated with DPWH to expedite delayed projects and requested audits for transparency. He promised to present all documentation during the ICI hearing.
The ACT Teachers Party-list had formally requested the ICI to investigate alleged irregularities in the projects earlier this week, citing concerns over "congressional insertions" in the district’s flood control initiatives.
The ICI announced Tuesday that Davao 1st District Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte will appear as a resource person in their hearings this week.
