Provincial Board Member Josevan Balidoy has called on the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to invite DPWH District Engineer Simon Arias to shed light allegations that he plans to move all biddings to the regional office allegedly in the absence of a Bids and Awards Committee (BAC).
In a privilege speech delivered in the board’s regular session last week, Balidoy cited reliable reports from key DPWH Catanduanes District Engineering Office that in a recent meeting DE Arias indicated that the bidding of goods and services as well as infrastructure projects would be transferred again to the DPWH regional office allegedly for lack of a functioning BAC.
He said that while the vice chairman resigned and one member was removed by the DE, the existing procurement committee still has the chairman and two members which constitute a quorum to conduct BAC business.
However, PBM Balidoy stated, the BAC chairman who is the assistant DE reportedly refused to hold biddings of the remaining infrastructure projects for 2025 as well as supplies and other materials for use of the district’s maintenance section and offices.
He accused the DE of trying to repeat what had happened in the past two years when most of its multi-billion projects were transferred to the central and regional offices purportedly to fast track their implementation.
“Habo ta nang mangyari an salang paagui na ini kan DPWH, dahil sa sobrang danyos na pigasapar bako sana nin local construction industry kundi pati kan local na ekonomiya, lalo na ta dai mamakal nin gamit sa local na hardware store an mga maganang taga-ibong na contractors,” Balidoy stressed.
He pointed out that for the past two years, DPWH officials from the district engineer up to the regional director have refused to listen to reason despite the provincial government’s repeated appeals to reconsider the policy, even ignoring invitations from the SP to appear before the august body.
The East District PBM, who is running for his second term, recalled that in the past two years more than three billion pesos in infrastructure projects for Catanduanes have been bid out in and implemented by the DPWH regional and central offices despite the fact that the local DPWH has the capability to do the same.
“Sobra sa sarong bilyon na fondo an nawara sa satong isla. Bako sanang mga local na contractista ang dai nataohan nin oportunidad na makakua kan mga proyecto, pati an saindang mga empleyado, magpoon sa mga ingeniero hanggan sa hornal, nawaran nin trabaho. Nabawasan an kinolektang buwis kan BIR, ta an tax sa mga proyectong ini aduman na binawas sa regional office,” he claimed.
Balidoy told the SP that constituents should not wonder why the poverty incidence in Catanduanes increased as many lost jobs in the construction industry, a key driver of the local economy, and the local BIR suffered reduced tax collection from contracts implemented by the local DPWH.
“Sa kada municipio, dakul na negocio an pinuga kan BIR, magpoon sa mga hardware hanggan mga saraday na paratinda nin niyog, para sana mabawi an parte kan nawara dahil sa pagpa-bidding kan mga DPWH projects nin Catanduanes duman sa ibong,” he emphasized.