“Atty. Peig did not disclose that he was connected with HCC. The city government acted as an employer in good faith when it hired Peig as the city administrator,” Valenzuela City government human resource head, Flory Villamar, said in a statement.
Peig had testified in his capacity as HCC’s assistant vice president for legal affairs during the Senate Blue Ribbon committee’s investigation into the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall Building II.
The former Valenzuela City official, who said he has been HCC’s lawyer since 2001, told lawmakers during the hearing that the company had won the contract for the Makati building through a competitive bidding, not through a rigged and fixed bidding as alleged by Engr. Mario Hechanova, former head of Makati’s General Services Department and BAC vice chairman.
Villamar said that had Peig made a full disclosure of his affiliation with HCC, the city government would not have hired him, particularly if he chose to keep his position in the company.
“Nowhere in his Form 212 did Atty. Peig disclose his affiliation with HCC. The document will speak for itself. If there was conflict of interest, that’s for Atty. Peig to answer,” she said.
Based on the disclosure made by Peig in his Personal Data Sheet (Civil Service Form 212), he served as an associate lawyer of Demeza and Ochoa law firm from Oct. 30, 2001 to Nov 3, 2008; managing partner of Soller, Peig, Escat & Peig law firm from Dec 1, 2001 to May 15, 2004, and chief of staff of Quezon City Rep. Vincent Crisologo from June 30, 2004 to March 31, 2009.
Peig served as the city administrator of Valenzuela City from April 1, 2009 until March 31, 2010. As city administrator, he is automatically the chairman of the city’s BAC.
Conflict of interest
In a statement, Rep. Ridon accused Peig of serving as the Valenzuela City BAC chair while he was also employed by HCC.
The lawmaker said it was during Peig’s stint at the BAC that HCC was able to corner several projects in Valenzuela City, including the partial construction of the Legislative Building, the consturction of th Police headquarters, the renovation of the old City Hall, and the City Jail.
“Peig should explain how is it possible for him to serve as BAC chairman for Valenzuela projects while himself stating to the Senate that he has been the lawyer of Hilmarcs from 2001,” Ridon said. “[H]is Senate testimony and Valenzuela City records would show that Peig never chose one position over the other.”
But while Ridon questionrf Peig’s chairmanship of the BAC, he admitted that HCC’s projects in Valenzuela could not “be deemed overpriced.”
“Because of the city’s leadership, all HCC infrastructure projects seems pegged at fair prices,” Rido said.
The lawmaker said documents from the city government will show HCC had built projects in the city for as low as 18,000 pesos per square meter. — DVM, GMA News
