Uswag Ilonggo’s Ang profited from contractor growth

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – For almost a yr after taking workplace in 2022, Uswag Ilonggo Get together-list Consultant James “Jojo” Ang Jr. remained a co-owner of a family-run building agency — a interval that coincided with a sudden surge in authorities contracts for the corporate.

Company paperwork from the Securities and Trade Fee (SEC) present that Ang remained one in all eight stockholders of Allencon Improvement Company from Could 30, 2022 to March 29, 2023. 

These dates cowl the interval instantly following his assumption because the social gathering record’s consultant within the nineteenth Congress. Ang was elected within the Could 9, 2022, and formally took workplace on June 30, 2022.

Paperwork present that Ang held a 5% share of the corporate, equal to P500,000 in subscribed capital. The identical share proportion was held by a number of youngsters of Alfonso “Don Ponso” Tan, Ang’s uncle. 

Tan himself owned the most important stake at 37.5%, whereas his spouse held 32.5%. The agency’s management construction is dominated by the household: Alfonso serves as president, Alvin as vp, Aileen as treasurer, and Aljun David as company secretary. Different siblings sit as administrators.

Below the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019) and the Code of Conduct and Moral Requirements for Public Officers and Staff (Republic Act No. 6713), authorities officers are legally required to keep away from conflicts of curiosity within the efficiency of their duties.

In RA 3019, public officers can’t be concerned in authorities contracts, offers, or choices that would profit their very own enterprise pursuits or these of their relations. Such participation is taken into account a corrupt observe and punishable by legislation.

RA 6713 enhances this by setting moral requirements to uphold public belief. It mandates public officers to reveal all their enterprise pursuits and monetary holdings yearly of their Statements of Property, Liabilities, and Internet Price (SALN).

From November 17 to December 4, Rappler sought clarification by way of Viber from Ang relating to his involvement with Allencon — particularly whether or not he disclosed his shareholdings in his SALN, the extent and timing of his possession, his consciousness of the corporate’s authorities contracts, and any measures taken to forestall conflicts of curiosity.

A sure Lawyer Vera Cruz who mentioned he was Ang’s authorized counsel, responded promptly on November 17, saying: “Cong. Jojo Ang has already disengaged from the enterprise and divested his curiosity in Allencon when he grew to become Uswag Ilonggo Get together-list Consultant in 2022.”

On November 25, Ang, by a Viber name, mentioned he had let go of his positions at Allencon and that SEC paperwork won’t be up to date.

From December 2 to 4, Rappler once more despatched follow-up inquiries to Ang by way of Viber for extra detailed responses to earlier questions. Though Ang made a name on December 3 and referred the queries to his workers, no substantial reply was supplied.

Regardless of assertions that the lawmaker had already divested from Allencon, official paperwork inform a unique story.

It was solely after March 29, 2023, as seen in an amended Basic Data Sheet, that Ang divested his shares, already almost a yr after successful his first congressional seat. He was changed by Jocelyn Tan, who now holds the identical 5% stake and was the fourth nominee of Uswag Ilonggo within the latest 2025 midterm elections.

Aside from him being a stakeholder, data additionally present that Ang as soon as sat as a part of Allencon’s majority member of the Board of Administrators, based on amended Articles of Incorporation dated August 22, 2013.

Division of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) contract paperwork from 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022 additionally establish Ang as Allencon’s president. Ang additionally signed a discover to proceed for Allencon in 2022. Information from 2018 and 2021 record him because the agency’s licensed supervisor. 

Contracts from 2023 to 2025 have been already signed by Alvin Patrick Tan, one of many stakeholders, as a licensed managing officer. 

Allencon positive factors

From 2016 to 2021, Allencon’s venture portfolio remained reasonable, however it surged sharply in 2022, the yr Ang assumed his congressional seat. 

That yr, the agency received P125 million in awarded contracts. By 2025, the agency’s contracts reached P1.29 billion for 103 initiatives, or a complete of P2.2 billion in a span of 9 years. 

Allencon’s largest focus of initiatives is within the newly-established Iloilo sixth District Engineering Workplace (DEO), the place it secured P449 million in contracts. These initiatives are in 2025 alone because the sixth DEO itself was created solely on June 13, 2024, below Republic Act No. 12005. The sixth DEO covers the municipalities of Badiangan, Bingawan, Cabatuan, Calinog, Janiuay, Lambunao, Maasin, Mina, and Pototan. 

Along with direct contracts, the corporate additionally secured initiatives by joint ventures with 4 different companies, together with IBC Worldwide Builders Company (IBC), one other Tan family-owned firm. 

The joint ventures introduced in extra multi-million–peso contracts: 

• P1.97 billion with A.M. Oreta & Co.
• P743.6 million with Superior Basis Building Methods Corp.
• P641.4 million with MAC Builders Corp. 
• P379.9 million with IBC

Contracts involving these partnerships convey Allencon’s whole DPWH initiatives to P3.7 billion. 

A supercontractor

IBC, additionally owned by Ang’s uncle, is the most important building agency in Western Visayas, whose dominance within the nation’s infrastructure sector is longstanding. 

In the course of the presidency of the late Benigno S. Aquino III, the Philippine Middle for Investigative Journalism reported that IBC was among the many nation’s Prime 10 contractors, having been awarded P11.49 billion in contracts by the DPWH. 

The agency continued its profitable climb below the Duterte administration, securing P5.2 billion in contracts over an 18-month interval, from July 2016 to December 2017.

An earlier investigation by the Iloilo-based Every day Guardian confirmed that IBC additionally emerged as one of many area’s prime flood-control contractors, together with A.D. Pendon Building & Provide Integrated and F. Gurrea Building Integrated, two different companies among the many prime three regional infrastructure contractors. 

Ang’s profession trajectory previous to the 2022 elections was characterised by his function because the alleged essential middleman for the Tan household’s building enterprises. 

He was publicly referred to as IBC’s main liaison, described as its “primary salesman,” who actively negotiated with native authorities officers throughout the area on the corporate’s behalf.

Even previous to Ang’s political rise, IBC had already expanded its venture portfolio. It had P2.9 billion in initiatives in 2016 and continued securing contracts yearly that amounted to P6.6 billion in 2025.

Since 2016, the corporate has had a complete of 592 initiatives within the area, or over P41 billion price of contracts, a determine that may attain P43 billion as soon as three way partnership contracts are counted.

IBC’s joint ventures embrace six different companies, amongst them Allencon. These tie-ups resulted in extra multi-million-peso contracts, together with:

• P315 million with Wilkinson Building
• P193 million with A.M. Oreta & Co.
• P259 million with Superior Basis Building Methods Corp.
• P40 million with J.E. Tico Building Co.,Inc.
• P74 million with J.S. Layson & Co., Inc.
• P379.9 million with Allencon

In 2025, nonetheless, IBC grew to become the topic of a serious graft grievance. The Crimes and Corruption Watch Worldwide Integrated (CCWI) filed a graft and corruption case towards IBC earlier than the Workplace of the Ombudsman. 

The CCWI accused DPWH Area VI officers and IBC of irregularities in awarding and implementing a number of authorities infrastructure contracts price billions of pesos. IBC allegedly obtained P2.4 billion price of contracts out of the P9.25 billion whole awarded by DPWH-VI in 2024, regardless of points reminiscent of reported venture delays. 

The allegations embrace violations of the New Authorities Procurement Act, Authorities Procurement Reform Act, Code of Conduct for Public Officers, and Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. 

There have been claims that the DPWH-VI Bids and Awards Committee didn’t droop or blacklist IBC regardless of greater than 20 recorded venture delays or slippages, a transfer that, based on CCWI, constitutes gross negligence. 

Ang’s alleged hyperlinks to corruption

Uswag Ilonggo, based in 2020 by former Iloilo Metropolis mayor Jerry Treñas, positioned itself as a reform-oriented regional party-list. It has one main purpose: to “elevate the lives of each Ilonggo by applications that promote change, inclusivity, and progress all through Western Visayas.”

Its platform centered on a five-point agenda:

1. The well-being of each Ilonggo household comes first 
2. Correct healthcare for the poor
3. Constant applications on infrastructure and tourism growth
4. Progress in agriculture and aquaculture (fishing)
5. Offering extra scholarships for the youth

Ang, its first nominee in 2022 and once more in 2025, campaigned on this development-centered agenda.

However because the Marcos Jr. administration launched a sweeping probe into alleged irregularities in flood management spending, Ang grew to become entangled within the controversy.

His identify first surfaced when Batangas 1st District Engineer Abelardo Calalo claimed that Ang was a main conduit for relaying directions to gather “donations” from contractors concerned in 2025 building initiatives. 

Calalo has been arrested for allegedly making an attempt to bribe Batangas 1st District Consultant Leandro Leviste with P3.126 million. The alleged bribe was supposedly provided to dissuade an investigation into alleged anomalies in DPWH initiatives within the district. Calalo was later launched on bail. 

Leviste rejected Calalo’s declare that Ang instructed him (Calalo) to ship contractor donations for Leviste. The Batangas lawmaker mentioned Calalo by no means talked about Ang throughout their assembly, dismissing the engineer’s statements as a diversion. 

In September, throughout the Senate blue ribbon committee listening to, authorities contractors Sarah and Curlee Discaya additionally recognized Ang as a part of an alleged community of officers receiving 10-15% kickbacks from infrastructure initiatives. 

Because the committee resumed its investigation in November, Ang was one of many officers named in a ledger supposedly documenting money payouts submitted by the Discayas.

However Ang has since then categorically denied what he known as “baseless accusations” of the couple. 

“I’m completely shocked that my identify has been talked about. It’s unlucky that some events have chosen to resort to name-dragging for his or her private agenda. It’s a handy distraction from the actual points,” he mentioned earlier. 

‘Inserted’ initiatives go to Allencon, IBC 

Because the investigation into the corruption scandal widened, Allencon and IBC emerged as main beneficiaries of initiatives allegedly inserted within the 2025 nationwide price range.

A 20-page record launched by former Home appropriations chair Zaldy Co confirmed 12 street initiatives throughout Vintage, Iloilo, and Guimaras.

In Vintage alone, Allencon obtained three initiatives price P86 million, all below the DPWH’s Vintage DEO. These included asphalt overlay and upkeep works alongside parts of the Bantayan-San Pedro-Cubay Street and the Bugo-Basic Fullon Street.

IBC secured two extra initiatives alongside the identical street: a P128-million contract below DPWH-VI and a P94-million contract below the Vintage DEO. 

In Iloilo province, a P96-million slope safety venture in Alimodian went to Bulacan-based M.S. Ramos Building Integrated, overlaying the development of a slope safety construction in Barangay Manasa.

Two different Iloilo initiatives — the Iloilo East Coast-Capiz Street and the Iloilo-Capiz Street (New Route) — stay pending and haven’t but opened for bidding.

Co’s record additionally recognized 4 initiatives in Guimaras, all centered on preventive upkeep and asphalt overlay works alongside varied sections of the Guimaras Circumferential Street. Collectively, these street upkeep contracts quantity to P384 million.

One of many Guimaras contracts, price P96 million, was awarded to Iloilo Metropolis-based J.E. Tico Building Firm Integrated. The agency’s president, Genevive Salcedo, primarily based on a 2021 DPWH doc, is the sixth nominee of the Uswag Ilonggo party-list within the Could polls.

As enterprise connections and possession took root, so did the query: Can a public servant ever actually separate politics from revenue? – Rappler.com