Laoag DPWH exec accused of extortion

LAOAG CITY – Members of the Laoag-Ilocos Norte Association of Contractors appealed to Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. last week to take action on an extortion complaint filed against an assistant district engineer.

The LINAC asked Secretary Ebdane to relieve assistant district engineer Reynaldo C. Alonel of Ilocos Norte 2nd District Engineering Office the ADE from his post, saying this would allow the truth to come out.

Alonel denied having committed extortion saying allegations of engineer Robert C. Duran of LINAC that he had demanded money of up to P1.6 million from him (Duran) were wrong.

He urged Duran to file a complaint in the court so he can prove his innocence. According to Beth Pillorin, head of the public information office of the DPWH, the Laoag City Prosecution’s Office had issued a certification that Alonel “has no pending case and is free from any legal obligation.”

Aside from Duran, six other LINAC members signed last March a petition addressed to former Rep. Imee Marcos (2nd District, Ilocos Norte) to ask the immediate relief of Alonel in connection with the complaint.

They said due to the election ban, the complaint was not acted upon accordingly. “We are happy to know that engineer Duran had reported the extortion to the media, and we appreciate what he did,” one LINAC member said.

They described Duran as a courageous man and expressed their full support for his effort to obtain justice.

They also said their signatures in the letter-petition sent to former Rep. Marcos were genuine, and not fake as claimed by some provincial DPWH officials.

The members who signed the letter-petition included Juanito Bernardo of JBRC, Efren Remigio of Remigio Construction Supply, Ramund Remigio of AR Cruz Contruction, Danilo Toledanes of DJCM Construction, Ernesto Pagaling of Badoc Builders and Construction Supply, and Joseph Padayao of JLP Construction and Supply.