Judging from the reason it cited for the cancellation of the Nov. 19, 2024 public bidding of P410 million worth of infrastructure projects, it may be reasonably concluded that certain officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) know how to weave a fairy tale.
In the supplemental bulletin it issued on Nov. 6, the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) notified contractors that the projects scheduled for bidding on Nov. 19 would be cancelled “due to substantial revisions in the Program of Works, with major adjustment in the Approved Budget for the Contract.”
It stated that the impact of the recent storm on the proposed sites has altered the original terrain and profile, necessitating additional work components.
Recent increases in the prices of essential construction materials have influenced the project budget, requiring a comprehensive re-evaluation of each project’s scope of work and financial components, it likewise said.
The problem with the official reason for the cancellation, that TD Kristine’s impact on the project sites require a reevaluation of the program of work, is that it sounds strange and suspicious considering that the day before, Nov. 5, the very same BAC conducted a public bidding of seven infra projects worth P175 million.
As pointed out in his letter to District Engineer Simon Arias, the president of the Catanduanes Contractors Association, if said reason is to be believed, then the DPWH Catanduanes BAC should have likewise cancelled the Nov. 5 bidding as the storm might have likewise affected the original terrain and profile of the initial seven projects.
Or is it because most of the seven projects in the previous bidding were won by contractors who are not in the political orbit of the honorable congressman who is the real power behind DE Arias?
It bears noting that of the seven projects, two are flood control structures with a total cost of P69 million while the two others are a P37 million bridge and a P49 million seawall.
All of these highly coveted infrastructure projects are located in the congressman’s hometown of Bato and two of them – the P49 million flood control structure and the P49 million seawall – right in his backyard of Batalay.
Contractors, as well as their politician bosses, salivate at the prospect of prosecuting these projects because they promise high returns: most of the materials like boulders, sand and gravel are available at the site and one can use earth instead of stone masonry especially if nobody is looking.
With honorable representatives in the Lower House asking for SOP as high as 18 percent of the project cost, it is easy to understand why their collecting agents in DPWH District Engineering Offices are hard-pressed to ensure that the juicy projects should go to contractors friendly to their bosses.
For example, 18 percent of the P175 million won by hostile bidders is equivalent to about P31 million. Add to this the P74 million that one can realistically get as the usual cut from the P410 million supposed to be bid out on Nov. 19, the total of roughly 105 million is already half of the budget one needs to buy votes in the Happy Island in 2025.
As six of the 23 projects in the cancelled bidding already account for nearly P300 million, imagine the ease with which the beneficiary politician can source half of his campaign requirement from just 10 friendly contractors.
This is why in DPWH DEOs located in districts where there are warring political factions, the district engineers have to literally walk on a tightrope or else get booted out for not carrying out the real boss’ directives.
It does not matter that in the really competitive public bidding that occurs, the government and the taxpaying public win big.
It is not music to the ears of the DPWH officials and their politician sponsors that the discounted bids during the Nov. 5 bidding saved the public P27 million that could be realigned to other projects.
What is important to these bloodsuckers in barongs or Lacoste shirts is how much the contractor can cough up by using substandard materials and other construction fraud.