DPWH: No gov’t money loss in Cordillera SONA projects’

BAGUIO CITY – The Cordillera office of the Department of Public Works and Highways here said there is no loss in government resources in the on-going implementation of the P5.2 billion State of the Nation Address (SONA) projects in the region since all the works are being supervised by appropriate agencies so that it will be completed in the prescribed deadline which is by December this year.

DPWH officials said “black propaganda” being circulated by purported anti-graft crusaders is merely meant to derail implementation of projects and ruin the image of the agency with higher authorities

Engineer.Alexander Castaneda, DPWH assistant regional director and SONA project manager, said difference in cost between program of works, acquisition cost and cost of office not provided shall accrue as additional funding for other item of works for the project.

Undelivered cost of project facilities, he added, shall be used in the project through variation order in the form of change orders as civil works to maximize the funds for the implementation of necessary works.

For this year, SONA projects implemented along phases two and three of the Halsema highway and the Bontoc-Tabuk-Tuguegarao road consist of 27 contract packages. for each contract package.

Programs of work include the rental of a service vehicle as facilities for engineers.

However, due to the lack of accredited project engineers in some instances, multiple adjacent contract packages are assigned to one project engineer, thus, the number of service vehicles does not necessarily correspond to the number of contract packages.

Ideally, each of the 28 packages should have at least two service vehicles because of the presence of project inspectors, project facilitators, materials engineer and materials laboratory technician, thus, it is unfair to allege the 32 service vehicles supposedly purchased for the purpose are missing when in fact, they have already been issued to the personnel in the project sites.

Castaneda said to date, 10 brand new vehicles and 11 used vehicles were delivered for use of project personnel.

Engineer Roy Manao, DPWH regional director, issued from existing inventory of the agency’s properties additional eight vehicles, most of which is for use of materials quality control personnel.

Cataneda added what is provided in programs of work are for rental of service vehicles and not for the purchase of the required vehicles.

In some instances, he cited delay in the provision of service vehicles is attributed to the desire of the agency that all vehicles to be provided should be at least brand new but the concerned contractors were not able to immediately place their orders for brand new vehicles for reasons such as arrangements for financing and back log of production

According to him, due to the immediate need for service vehicles which is the common complaint of project engineers, the agency acceded to the provision of used vehicles.

With regard to the provision of field offices, Cataneda said the regional DPWH did not require field office for projects accessible to the DPWH offices, thus, the funds intended for field office of the different contract packages were used to repair and improve the SONA field office in Bontoc, Mountain province.

He added the remaining funds were used for the procurement of office supplies and equipment to ensure smooth operation of activities relative to monitoring of project implementation. -- Dexter A. See