To bizmen 'in the know' of rampant corruption in Makati
Cayetano: Come forward. Speak up. End the cycle.

"Kung gusto niyo ng pagbabago, mag-testify kayo."

This is the call made by Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter "Companero" S. Cayetano to businessmen who are "in the know" of the allegedly rampant corruption in procurement system of Makati City when Vice President Jejomar Binay was mayor.

Cayetano's call came after the appearance of Mario Lichauco Jr., owner of 911 Alarm that distributes firefighting equipment, in yesterday's hearing to testify he was an aggrieved party in the bidding for a still undisclosed Makati project.

Lichauco said that he felt he was the one being alluded by last week's witness, former vice chair of Makati's bids and awards committee and former head of the General Services Department Mario Hechanova, as the contractor they allegedly trapped in an elevator as part of efforts to rig and fix the bidding process in Makati.

The businessman is the first contractor so far to have come forward and verified the claims made by Hechanova last week. In previous hearings, former vice mayor Ernesto Mercado admitted having benefitted from the Makati parking building transaction, and also linking Vice President Jejomar Binay to the scandal.

"Businessmen who are in the know or been whispering about (corrupt) practices not only in this city but in other cities, kung gusto niyo ng pagbabago, lumabas na kayo at magtestify kayo," Cayetano said.

The senator said he sought out Lichauco after last week's hearing to verify the facts said by Hechanova last week. Lichauco agreed to be made a resource person in the probe of the carpark's alleged anomalous construction.

He recalled in yesterday's hearing that on May 15, 2007, he arrived at the Makati City Hall at 12:53 p.m. in time for 2 p.m. bid and boarded one of the only two working elevators at that time. Lichauco said they "got stuck close to the 7th floor" for nearly two hours, missing the deadline for the bid and consequently disqualified from process.

He said even before the "trapping" incident, he said he felt the bidding process in Makati was "fairly sketchy."