EDITORIAL

Charges needed against officials in Halsema, Kalinga road anomalies

A full-blown investigation should be done on road contract projects along Halsema Highway and the Bontoc, Mountain Province- Tabuk Kalinga- Tuguegarao Cagayan road and the culprits should be charged in court.

As things stand now, Department of Public Works and Highways officials in the region are “sugarcoating” allegations of graft and corruption in the implementation of these projects. Reports have it that credible work has not been done and contracts of winning contractors and bidders have expired even if they haven’t started the roads aside from the fact that they took “advance money” to construct or improve the roads.

We came up with this expose last week in this paper but we will repeat the facts so concerned government agencies would investigate the matter considering these road rehabilitation projects are priority projects of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

These are part of the second phase of the improvement of the above-mentioned roads. The Mt. Data-Bontoc road spans a length of 50.5 kilometers with an estimated project cost of 1 billion pesos and the 39 km Bontoc-Banaue road with P780 million project cost.

Secretary Cerge Remunde, director general of the presidential management staff of the office of the president was written by private contractor Juniper Dominguez who cited “ expired and nearly to expire projects which have reportedly not yet commenced work despite the alleged collection of the 15 percent mobilization funds by contractors of individual projects.”

Aside from Dominguez, other sectors have also urged Ms Arroyo to investigate the alleged irregularities and suspend DPWH regional director Mariano Alquiza, assistant director Danilo Domingo, Mt. Province district engineer Leonardo Leyaley, and Mt Province district engineer Rex Oyaoy while the probe was going on.

The amount of 340 million was reportedly released earlier to for the Mt Data-Bontoc route. Dominguez said the contract for widening and concreting road projects along the Mt Data- Bontoc Road amounting to at least 56 million pesos already expired with no credible work started.

These included a 9.2 million peso project; P5.6 million at Mt Data cliff by MG Samidan construction; 9.6 million at Sadsadan-Mabaay section by Daliones Construction; 13.1 million at Lukib-Sadsadan section by MG Samidan Construction; 9.7 million at Pakya section by KVC construction; and the soon to expire projects this July namely the 9.6 million contract at Sadsadan section by RS Sepian construction, and 9 million road work.

According to Dominguez, road contracts along the Bontoc-Lubugan-Tabuk road which are nearly to expire with no work done yet .These reportedly include the P13.4 million contract by RS Sepian construction and the P12 million road work by RIM Construction.

Earlier accounts said P229 million was already released for the Lubuagan Tabuk section with a 988 million appropriation. Expired contract works without work commenced may mean termination of the project or revocation of the contractor’s license to operate.

“Mobilization funds released, require that the project has already a billboard identifying the work project, equipments on site, and work already commended yet these indications are not visible in these road projects,” Dominguez said

Meantime, multimillion worth of projects with alleged negative slippages, subcontracting and substandard works and materials have already commenced along the Baguio- Bontoc road.

These questioned road works are located at Sabangan municipality including Maba-ay- Aw awigan by R.S Sepian Construction, Busa-Capinitan by RS Sepian, Aw-awigan- Namatec by STAY Construction, Pingad- Cabugbugan by EKC Construction, Pingad-Panorama by STAY Construction, and Nakagang Paling by MG Samidan Construction; and the road sections in Bontoc to include Gonogon-Alab implemented by MG Samidan Construction; and construction works along the Bontoc-Ifugao Road by EKC Construction.

These projects reportedly face big negative slippages due to alleged sub-standard work on slope protection ripraps and thin guard railings. At least P189 million was already reportedly released for the Bontoc- Banaue section. Big money if you ask us. Will concerned government agencies who should investigate these alleged road anomalies please stand up?