Ifugao welcomes probe on corruption in DPWH projects

November 17, 2018 Headlines

BAGUIO CITY – A deep and serious probe on alleged corruption in various road projects in Ifugao was welcomed by Ifugao lawmaker Teodoro Baguilat Jr., who himself was implicated as among those receiving “grease money”.
Baguilat, while applauding the effort of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) to put a stop to corruption in the bidding for public infrastructure projects, is also hoping that those responsible will be punished.
The Ifugao lawmaker admitted he earlier was informed of attempts by government officials to get bribes from contractors in Ifugao. Instead, he said, he urged contractors to report illegal practices to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Former Ifugao district engineer Lorna Ricardo had dropped his name regarding a road project in a supposed video conversation submitted to the PACC.
Baguilat claimed he was puzzled when Ricardo, who has since been transferred to Abra, dropped his name, especially since the project was not even initiated by his office but was inserted in the government budget in bicameral meetings.
“Immediately after District Engineer Ricardo was assigned to Ifugao late last year, I already told her that I do not accept bribes and that she should not be afraid to go after erring contractors. They should be made accountable if they do not comply with the agreed program of work. That is public money we are talking about so it should be spent properly,” the Ifugao lawmaker claimed.
Baguilat recalled that the 2018 infrastructure budget for Ifugao was slashed to zero after going against the administration on several issues. “I was therefore surprised, pleasantly at the time, to find out that P100 million was somehow inserted in the infrastructure budget of Ifugao without any intervention from my office. But even then, the bulk of projects that were the result of tedious planning were not funded.”
Ricardo was OIC-District Engineer of Davao City in 2009 where she was identified by the Commission on Audit as among those liable to settle the disallowed amount of P12.9 million for certain road projects. In 2013, she was designated District Engineer of Davao del Norte 1st District Engineering Office, then, in 2017, as District Engineer of the Ifugao First Engineering District.
Earlier, anti-corruption advocate Citizens Crime Watch-Cordillera Administrative Region (CCW-CAR) had alleged that Ricardo and other DPWH officials formed a clique which accordingly displaced dedicated and hardworking Igorot engineers “so they could pursue questionable transactions”.
Jen Juezan, public information officer of the DPWH-Cordillera, begged off to issue any statement claiming they have not received a formal information on the matter. “Until then, wala pong masasabi ang office.” ACE ALEGRE / ABN