MANILA, Philippines — The regional director of the Department of Public Works and Highways in Davao, as well as the district engineers in Davao Occidental and Baguio City were issued show-cause orders by DPWH Secretary Vivencio Dizon last Friday as part of investigations into anomalous infrastructure projects.
DPWH Davao regional director Juby Cordon and district engineer Rodrigo Larete were given five days to explain in writing why they should not face administrative cases for an anomalous flood project in Jose Abad Santos town.
Dizon and then Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) adviser Benjamin Magalong visited the concrete revetment project worth P96.5 million on Wednesday, discovering it was an incomplete project.
The DPWH paid in full St. Timothy Construction Co., owned by controversial contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya, in 2022 for the unfinished project.
“Based on the reports from local residents and the barangay captain of the area, it was further established that actual construction activities commenced only two to three weeks prior to the inspection,” Dizon said.
If Cordon and Larete fail to submit their explanation in writing, Dizon said the DPWH would resolve the case based on available records and pieces of evidence they have gathered.
Meanwhile, Baguio City district engineer Rene Zarate, alongside his subordinates Cesario Rillera, chief of the planning and design section; Nora de los Santos, chief of the maintenance section; Jessie Ramos and Frances Vincent Saloria, both Engineer 2 in the planning and design section; and Frigilda Legaspi, administrative officer 2 – were all slapped with show cause orders.
Zarate is already under a 30-day preventive suspension since Sept. 22 following an ICI complaint over his alleged refusal to cooperate with the investigation of projects under his office.
The show cause order issued zeroed in on the alleged bid rigging orchestrated by the Baguio City district engineering office (DEO) in exchange for one to three percent commissions from their favored contractors.
“The said manipulation of the bidding process is allegedly done to favor contractors or companies used as dummies by the spouses and family members of certain employees of the DEO. It was also alleged that a particular contractor – Goldrich Construction and Trading – has been consistently favored enabling it to secure sixty-seven percent of the total appropriation of the projects allotted for Baguio City DEO from 2022 to 2025, excluding the projects awarded to Tango-Romeo General Construction alleged to be a dummy or co-owned company of the latter,” Dizon’s show cause order to the Baguio City DEO officials said.
Additionally, a new show cause order has been issued to DPWH National Capital Region director Gerard Opulencia to explain the irregularities in the Sunog Apog pumping station flood control project in Tondo, Manila that was inspected by Dizon and Magalong last Sept. 24.