P600 million Mt. Data-Bontoc road controversy: Gloria urged: Suspend

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- President Macapagal Arroyo was urged to personally inspect and initiate dismissal proceedings against regional and provincial Highways officials involved in the implementation of the “anomalous” P600 million Mt. Data-Bontoc Road project.

“We urge Your Excellency to come and inspect Mountain Province to personally see what these corrupt people have done on your Flagship projects,” said complainant Juniper Dominguez in a letter sent to Malacanang.

He said the “anomaly started when these corrupt people ‘chopchopped’ the contracts to accommodate their pre-selected contractors. Even in the layman’s eye, all the ripraps and slope protection walls are mega-substandard. The installed guard rails can be touched and felt and these are super thin.” Dominguez said the Bureau of Construction of the Department of Public Works and Highways had determined that the road concreting was sub-standard, and that the DPWH paid selected contractors for this “engineering stupidity.”

“Despite the remove and replace order of DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane, the contractors and sub-contractors have only removed a fraction of these mega-sub-standard accomplishments and immediately replaced with the same style,” he said. “This made the DPWH Secretary a butt of jokes in Mountain Province.”

Dominguez said investigating teams from the Presidential Management Staff the BOC and regional Commission on Audit had finished their probe on the matter four months ago but still the “corrupt” DPWH officials were still holding office. He said DPWH officials to include the regional director, assistant regional director, Mountain Province district engineer and assistant district engineer should be issued “preventive suspensions.”

“Are the connections of these people so strong that even the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission, the Office of the Ombudsman, the COA, the Honorable Secretary of the DPWH, and the Office of the President cannot do anything on these people?

“Your Excellency, come to Mountain Province by land so you can feel and see how the Halsema Road has deteriorated because of the anomalous implementation and gross Mismanagement of the SONA projects,” Dominguez told the President. “Hopefully your intercession, Mountain Province will finally realize quality action on these anomalies for a safe Halsema Highway.” – AD