Aside from the controversial construction of a parking area in
Makati building, the Hilmarc’s Construction Corp. (HCC) firm is
implementing several major government projects in Iloilo province.
Hilmarc’s Construction Corp. (HCC) won the bidding for a P700-million
convention center in Iloilo city, which is a pet project of Senate President
Franklin Drilon.
On the HCC’s website, it is said that it is also the contractor
on several landmark projects elsewhere in the Philippines including the biggest
malls in the world the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, and Philippine Arena, which
is known as one of the biggest covered structures in the world. Philippine
Arena was recently built by the Iglesia ni Cristo in Bulacan province.
HCC also built the city hall in other provinces like Negros
Occidental, Calamba in Laguna province, the Batasan Annex, the Sandiganbayan
and the Iloilo provincial capitol. Just recently, HCC won the bidding for the
construction of the Iloilo Convention Center (ICC) which was donated by the
realty firm Megaworld Corp.
The project is being
built on a 1.7-hectare lot, with an estimated worth of P200 million is one of
the main projects in Iloilo City in preparation for the city’s hosting of
meetings of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation next year.
At least P200 million of the project funds came from the pork
barrel funds of Drilon, who is a native of Iloilo, while P100 million came from
the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program.
The other sources of funding are the Tourism Infrastructure and
Enterprise Zone Authority, P200 million, and the Department of Public Works and
Highways (DPWH), P200 million.
Edilberto Tayao, DPWH director for Western Visayas, said that
the ICC project was soon to be finished and was already 80 percent completed.
