A former legal counsel of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has called on Secretary Manuel Bonoan to launch a probe into what he claimed to be “uncontrolled corruption” at its Catanduanes District Engineering Office.
In the open letter published in this paper (see page 2), Atty. Oliver T. Rodulfo described as dangerous and difficult the task of bringing to the secretary’s attention how corrupt officials of the Catanduanes DEO bled the agency and unlawfully and illegally amassed unexplained wealth.
“In the office you will see brand new cars owned by the employees parked inside the compound,” he said.
The lawyer, who ran and lost in the congressional elections last year, cited the “Rehabilitation/Improvement of Brgy. Capilihan to Brgy. Sto. Nino leading to the Proposed Virac Agri-Tourism Sites” an example of how the Catanduanes DEO implements projects.
The winning contractor, E.R. Rodriguez Construction, began work in March 25, 2021, with the project was supposed to be completed after 178 calendar days or on September 18, 2021.
Reliable sources claim that the project engineer certified the project to be completed on December 27, 2022 but numerous cracks were found on the pavement, with the contractor ordered to remove and replace a total of 35 blocks.
To the request addressed to the DPWH chief, Rodulfo reportedly attached pictures showing how substandard and defective the project was constructed with the express or implied consent of Catanduanes DEO and its officials “who did nothing because the construction firm is owned by the incumbent congressman.”
The former chief of the legal division of the DPWH regional office also reminded Sec. Bonoan of the sacking of the former district engineer without any opposition from the central office.
He claimed that the Catanduanes DEO is now allegedly run by the congressman’s wife, with political interference now marking the assignments of project engineers and chiefs of sections, the reconstitution of the Bids & Awards Committee as well as employment of job order personnel.
“It is now the rule in the district office that when your bid is below 15% to 20% of the ABC, you will be disqualified,” Rodulfo alleged.
The project is then awarded to a favored contractor, he added, identifying the alleged fixer during the bidding as one “Jing Regalado” who is not connected with a private or government office.
“We need political will to crack down on these corrupt officials,” Atty. Rodulfo, who once headed the Internal Affairs unit at the central office, told the secretary and urged his office to conduct an initial investigation of the cited project to build an airtight case against the erring officials.
“This is only a glimpse or bird’s eye view of what is actually happening in the District Office and there are so many illegal activities being done by your officials,” he stressed, adding that if this is not immediately acted upon, it will cause demoralization in the ranks of the employees and cause the public to lose trust and confidence in the agency.