“Well, sana ingatan din ni mayor ‘yon pag-pinpoint sa SGC, sana may facts, at kung meron man sana mapag-usapan. I think pare-pareho naman na taga-Pasig. Maganda sana ‘yon kung open discussion.”
— Atty. Raymund Mendoza
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- EDD K. USMAN | Twitter: @edd1819 | Instagram: @bluestar0910 | Facebook: SDN — SciTech and Digital News
SHANGRI-LA EDSA HOTEL, Mandaluyong City, August 13, 2024 (SDN) — If the owners of the St. Gerrard Construction (SGC) Corporation want to mount a protest rally against the proposed Php9.6-billion Pasig City Hall Campus project, they do not need to hire rallyists from other cities.
They do not need to hide behind other people, nor do they need to tag at others’ skirt. They are sufficient on their own, already.
This was gleaned from statements of lawyer Raymund Mendoza, who represented the camp of St. Gerrard in a brief press conference with journalists and bloggers here in the five-star hotel.
But the lawyer quickly emphasized that he doubts that St. Gerrard has reason or plan to mount a rally and do it against Mayor Vico Sotto’s administration.
The St. Gerrard camp hastily called for the press conference after they learned that the mayor tagged the Quapruple “A” developer, one of only 41 in the Philippines to earn the prestigious distinction, as allegedly behind a protest rally in front of City Hall on Monday, August 12, after flag raising ceremony.
Speaking on behalf of St. Gerrard, Mendoza flatly rejected the youthful mayor’s allegations, a scion of movie personalities. He said the company has more than enough employees for a rally and it need not hide behind non-Pasig residents or get people from other cities.
It can be recalled that Sotto, son of entertainers Vic Sotto and Connie Reyes, pointed to St. Gerrard’s alleged “dirty tactics” in connection with the protest. He said that among the protest’s ground leaders pointed to St. Gerrard as being at the back of propaganda against the Php9.6-billion new city hall project.
“So, iyan po, mga hakot siguro ng St. Gerrard ito, kita ‘nyo po ‘yon dirty tactics,” says the mayor as quoted in a report on ABS-CBN News online. He met with the protesters and told them some of them were from Quezon and Caloocan cities.
(Translation: So, there, they were probably hauled off by St. Gerrard. You can see the dirty tactics.)
But the St. Gerrard camp is not amused over the allegations.
“No,” St. Gerrard’s camp flatly rejected through Mendoza the allegations of the mayor, “they are not involved. We were caught by surprise. We are here at the hotel.”
He said what they knew was that there was a transport strike, but obviously transformed as protest against the new city hall project.
The mayor pointed out that he welcomes questions about the new city hall project since it is a big project but added that there should be no ill motives, and not politically motivated.
“Again, we are open to questions and observations, we are ready for this because what we are doing has been well-thought, and it is good for the city’s future, and it is a transparent process,” Sotto says as quoted in news reports.
He assured that once the new city hall costing is finalized and complete, it will be made available to the public.
It can be recalled that businessman-philanthropist Curlee Discaya, owner of St. Gerrard Construction, had asked the mayor to reconsider the huge price tag of the Php9.6 billion project, suggesting savings can be used for the health, education, and livelihood of Pasig residents.
Discaya even offered to draft a detailed engineering plan for a new city hall at no cost to the city government. He made his offer through a letter that the Office of the Mayor received on July 23, 2024, at around 9:30 a.m., a stamp of the letter as seen by reporters showed.
When asked by reporter Nolan Ariola two Mondays ago, also after a flag raising, about the offer, Sotto replied there was no proposal.
Mendoza suggests an open discussion between St. Gerrard and Sotto
Mendoza said the mayor should not take the name of St. Gerrard lightly unless he has facts to show.
He said the camp of St. Gerrard was having their team building activities at the hotel where he spoke as a resource person. He said he was asked to meet with the media on behalf of the corporation, indicating since there is a team building activities the employees do not have time for a protest rally.
“Of course, they were surprised, a bit worried that the name of their company was mentioned,” the lawyer reveals, referring to the couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya, who own and operate the construction company, and their employees.
“So, of course, they are looking into how to protect (the integrity of) tbeir corporation. It is not definite yet, they are still looking into it, and may include a legal action,” Mendoza tells the press conference attendees.
“As of this afternoon they are looking into it, it won’t belong (the result),” he reiterates for emphasis.
Meanwhile, the lawyer expressed bewilderment at the ease some of the protesters readily admitted they were from Quezon and Caloocan cities as the mayor said.
“To us, it raises questions, a bit weird. If you are doing something wrong, why do you admit it easily,” Mendoza ventures. “Weird!”
Some of the rallyists raised their hands as shown in a video clip, shouting like they were happy after being caught, admitting they were not from Pasig.
As the press conference wound down, Mendoza sent out a positive message, while calling for discernment when one is facing a gauntlet of issues.
“Well, sana ingatan din ni mayor ‘yon pag-pinpoint sa SGC, sana may facts, at kung meron man sana mapag-usapan. I think pare-pareho naman na taga-Pasig. Maganda sana ‘yon kung open discussion.”
(Translation: Well, I hope the mayor would be careful in pinpointing SGC. I hope there are facts. And if there are, I hope they can discuss them. I think they are all from Pasig. It would be good if it’s an open discussion.)
As this developed, the mayor appears to have a plateful of issues to contend with as he, along with two other city officials, are facing a graft charge at the Office of the Ombudsman for alleged graft. Npt not related to the new city hall project, though.
Complainant Ethelmart Austria Cruz filed the case, charging Sotto, Melanie de Mesa, who heads the city’s Business Permit and Licensing Department, and Jeronimo Manzanero, the city administrator, for allegedly granting Converge ICT Solutions, a telecommunications firm, 100 percent tax discount.
But the mayor is unfazed, dismissing the case. “Anyone can file a complaint, it does not mean a thing,” a confident Sotto was quoted by reporters.
Supporters of the camps of St. Gerrard and the mayor, perhaps, are wishing the two parties’ issues could be resolved in a win-win solution. (/)
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Update: August 16, 7:41 p.m.
A few days ago an ABS-CBN TeleRadyo video interview with Mayor Vico Sotto about the case involving the supposed 100 percent discount, he denied that it happened; he said there was no 100 percent discount of Converge ICT’s gross tax; the only discount given was on the interest of the tax, not on the gross amount. The mayor also continued to belittle the case, saying he has not seen a copy yet.