Palace: Andaya can’t lawyer for private contractors

Malacañang on Monday said private contractors should file complaints if the government owed them money from projects. Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo rejected the allegations of Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. that due to corruption in the Department of Budget and Management, the government now owed the contractors as much as P100 billion. “Congressman Andaya cannot be lawyering [for] these contractors. If the contractors have something to complain [about], they should file the complaint and address their concerns to the respective department or the Department of Public Works and Highways,” Panelo said at a press briefing. He said he did not know how the government’s alleged debts to private contractors could be linked to corruption. “If they were not paid, it’s probably because they did not complete the projects,” he said.