BONTOC, Mountain Province – Seven Dept. of Public Works and Highways officials were relieved last week over the controversial multi-million peso Mt. Data-Bontoc road along the Halsema Highway even as another “anomaly” surfaced.
Lawyer Joel Jacob, director of the legal office of the Dept. of Public Works and Highways was urged by local contractor Jeronimo Dup-et to “investigate this midnight highway robbery done on the flagship projects of President Arroyo in Mountain Province.”
Dup-et said the “DPWH programmed and approved that the source of aggregates (sand and gravel) will come from Naguillan, La Union making the prices of the road concreting much more higher (overpriced) compared to those whose aggregates come from the Chico River.”
The Chico River runs along the Halsema and local quarry sites are reportedly only around 5 km from the road projects.
The quarry site in San Fernando, La Union where sand and gravel were taken for the projects is around 200 km from the road project.
Dup-et asked: “Who engineered this? On whose instructions? Who benefited from these? How much was doled out?
Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr.bared in Baguio last week he would fire or suspend Dept. of Public Works and Highways officials and blacklist contractors responsible for the almost 90 percent slippage or “anomalous” implementation of the multi-million Mt. Data-Bontoc portion of the Halsema Highway if investigations prove their culpability.
Ebdane ordered DPWH officials and contractors to finish the road project according to correct technical specifications setting the deadline third week this month.
Ebdane also said he would fire or blacklist erring officials or contractors responsible for the road project.
In Mountain Province, contractors and sub-contractors of the road projects along phases two and three of the Halsema highway rehabilitation project started to remove and replace defective concrete blocks within their identified project sites.
The ongoing removal of defective works was followed by the relief of seven technical DPWH personnel in the Cordillera responsible in the supervision of substandard projects in line with the current investigation of the agency on the alleged implementation of substandard works.
Engineer Mariano Alquiza, DPWH regional director, said the relief of three materials engineers, 2 project engineers and two project inspectors was due their alleged dereliction of duty in ensuring the implementation of quality government projects especially the priority projects of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the Cordillera region.
But the relieved DPWH employees are still allowed to perform other duties and responsibilities as technical personnel but not to supervise government projects for a period of six months.
He didn’t divulge their names. In an inspection here, Alquiza said there were delays in the removal of the defective concrete pavement blocks due to inclement weather condition as well as availability of breakers.
Aside from doing removal works, it was learned that contractors have been tapped to clear the road of landslides caused by the continuous heavy downpour.
Out of the supposed 141 blocks that should be removed, the contractors were able to break 37 blocks over the past several days but assured DPWH officials they could be able to finish the job within the given deadline.
Alquiza said contractors of the defective projects were abiding with Ebdane's order but there unavoidable circumstances that happened along the way, particularly clearing of landslides.
Earlier, Ebdane warned contractors of defective projects along the Halsema highway that the agency will be forced to blacklist and subsequently file charges against them if they refuse to remove and replace their substandard works on or before the third week of this month. – By Alfred Dizon and Dexter A See
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