HAPPY WEEKEND

Suspended DPWH engineers, Ebdane’s vows
GINA DIZON

This lame attempt of Dept. of Public Works and Highways regional director Mariano Alquiza to suspend seven engineers from their post for six months was an incredibly desperate act for the DPWH head to do at the light of the Halsema SONA project’s irregularities.

Having turned the blame to DPWH materials and project engineers of the Halsema SONA projects, his action just showed how power play works in one of the most corrupt government agencies of the country.

The project engineers undoubtedly endorsed substandard projects as materials used were apparently decreased to unacceptable strengths due to SOPS and cuts from original project amounts. The cuts have been publicly perceived as taken by top DPWH officials and a Mountain Province official who were seemingly involved in the fiasco along with contractors who wanted to have a sizable slice in the pie of course.

With consequent charges and investigation in order, the necessary information on the extent of irregularities and corruption done is being looked forward to by the public.

It is public knowledge that SOPs or cuts from the original amount of a government project are perceived to be taken by top government officials in any implementing government agency and of course to the contractor has to have his share also otherwise why should he do such work?

So, while the suspension of the DPWH technical engineers will start and the accountability check in DPWH in ongoing, other top officers in the agency who are equally to be blamed for their participation in the substandard projects should be suspended or fired from service.

It is good news that DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane will fire top executives if proven guilty of their culpability. I hope this warning by the good Secretary is not just said in words. The seven technical men have already been suspended and are now serving their sentences for being allegedly negligent in their job. Officials in higher positions who give the orders who should be given disciplinary action as well. This would redound to better services to the people of the highlands and curb corruption.

Let us not forget that the 15 percent mobilization funds amounting to millions was allegedly released and not immediately implemented during the height of the May 2007 elections. This leaves one wondering whether this had a connection to massive vote buying in the very recent elections.

Mountain Province Rep. Victor Dominguez strongly airing over the radio that there was nothing irregular in the Halsema road projects makes him a potential suspect in receiving cuts. People are saying Dominguez must be investigated on whatever role he must have played in the implementation of the irregular road projects for his seemingly defensive pronouncements implies he had a role to play in the substandard road works.

Of course, the heat is on for Alquiza and his close aides to disclose their involvement in the substandard projects much as the project engineers couldn’t have implemented those irregularly done projects without Alquiza’s knowing and command, otherwise, he must have been sleeping in the moon. For sure, his supervision is of grave importance with millions involved in this SONA highly controversial road transactions.

This brings us to Mountain Province District Engineer Leonardo Leyaley who seems ignored in this Halsema brouhaha. As one who sits in the territory of the much controversial projects, he too must have a role to play in the implementation of such projects.

This move to check corruption and patronage politics and bring forth a better Mountain Province or a Cordillera region and nation for that matter will not end with only the suspension of the DPWH’s technical engineers.

And with the check to bring better systems in local governance, the move for Cordillera autonomy will be better understood in the light of Cordillerans themselves taking active and proactive positions as well in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of government programs along with policy change and policy making like those on contract projects.