The barricade marks the latest pushback by villagers against Woggle Corp., whose planned exploration in Dupax del Norte has drawn strong resistance since it was first reported earlier this year.
Conti said the award is an affirmation of her past as well as future work as a public interest lawyer.
Elago said GWP will immediately go to work and will participate in the ongoing investigations on corruption in public works projects.
The award, which carries a cleanly rounded price tag without a single centavo, is one of dozens of contracts in the province showing the same unusual pattern: big-ticket projects repeatedly priced at identical round figures such as P96,500,000 and P49,000,000, according to data obtained from the Sumbong sa Pangulo website.
In her statement, Renee Co asked Duterte: “How about you? How are you related to Mary Grace Piattos?” mentioning a red-flagged name in the vice-president report of so-called confidential fund recipients.
“A budget is a moral document, and it’s a moral contradiction to fund food but not medicine,” said Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim said.
This is the same firm behind the controversial rock shed along Kennon Road in Benguet that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. previously criticized as “useless.”
“Our refusal to endorse the project was ignored. Our concerns were brushed aside,” the mayor said. Enrile residents have since labeled the unused diversion road project as another costly “bridge-to-nowhere.”
An examination of flood control projects in Cagayan province from 2022 to 2025 has revealed suspicious trends in contract pricing and distribution, raising red flags of possible bid rigging, contract splitting, and favoritism among a small circle of contractors.
“We are calling for a Php128 per kilo floor price of Virginia tobacco without classification. The grading system keeps farmgate prices down to an average of just Php97 per kilo, while companies can buy tobacco at Php100 to Php150 when it suits them,” STOP Exploitation regional spokesperson Julie Balangue said.
