LETTERS

‘Let us honor jueteng lords’

It is a wonder why there is no jueteng kubrador the police can arrest in the Cordillera like in Baguio, Benguet and Ifugao. It is also a wonder why local government officials and the regional and local police are silent on the illegal game. Another wonder why the church hierarchy and non-government groups are mum on the issue. It is still a wonder why the people are silent on the matter.

It is like the jueteng operators particularly the lords came down from the high heavens and with a magic wand, sealed the lips of the people. Why is everybody so silent on the matter? One answer maybe is that people are having a jolly good time betting on the game anticipating a win. With the poverty and misery all around us, maybe it is time local government honor these jueteng lords for at least making the people enjoy their brief stay on this earth by forgetting their misery through jueteng. You would be surprised to know these lords who would get onstage and get the awards are your favorite idols. But that is wishful thinking. When can we wake up from our stupor?

Emmanuel Santos
Baguio City



Cordillera DPWH execs, contractors ‘plundering’ GMA projects?

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- True to her words during her 2006 State of the Nation Address, President Macapagal Arroyo released around 700 million pesos to date for improvement of the Halsema Highway, Mountain Province section. These funds were meant to upgrade living conditions of the people but sad to say, it is not serving its purpose.

The Cordillera Dept. of Public Works and Highways under Director Alquiza and its bids and awards committee chairman Assistant Director Domingo of the DPWH-Mountain Province office under District Engineer had “manipulated” the bidding process so that only one pre-selected contractor filed intent to qualify and bid. This also included pre-selected projects, making the contractor the solo bidder for the projects advertised. The bidder then bid to close the approved budget cost defeating the essence of public bidding.

Worst, the DPWH-CAR and MPDEO have seen and were informed of these substandard and overpriced accomplishments yet they have paid and are continuing to pay the contractors?

Also, they railroaded the awarding of the latest release of these projects and its 15 percent advance payment to contractors, glaringly circumventing the election ban? Ironically to date, majority of the projects’ contract time had lapsed, others, only days to lapse with no credible work undertaken. Also ghost accomplishments have reportedly been paid.

Comically, the DPWH-CAR and MPDEO, feeling the heat over their ineptitude have concocted irrational reasons to justify the continuity of the projects despite lapsed and lapsing contract time, intolerable, unjustified and huge negative slippages and delays with reasons.

Reasons include, “lack of Portland cement, road-rights-of way problems,” and “election ban?” The irony of it, the DPWH submitted a report to the Presidential Management Staff in Malacanang depicting a rosy picture of SONA project in Mountain Province which is pure baloney. “Welcome to Mountain Province! Come and see the projects!”

The projects are substandard grouted ripraps and slope protection walls, substandard cement concrete pavements, road concreting, mega-overpriced guard rails, posts and paints, “ghost accomplishments” and “falsified documents” – a showcase of engineering stupidity.

The funniest part is when DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. was scheduled to inspect the flagship SONA projects in Mountain Province on July 9, Alquiza, Domingo and Leyaley initiated the face-lifting or make-up of the DPWH secretary’s route.

They removed slides, graveled bad sections, bravely altered by placing on the billboards that the expiration of the contracts were December 2007. They deployed their project engineers. Due to the rush of things, they forgot to deploy even one quality road grader, a must equipment for road concreting. There was none from day 1 to this date.

How can we downgrade our rating as “most corrupt country in Asia” if these kind of people have the temerity to make a mockery not only of the people of Mountain Province but also the President of the Republic?

Juniper Dominguez
Sabangan, Mountain Province