ILOILO City – A fresh clash is erupting between the Iloilo City Council and the Department of Public Works and Highways – Iloilo City District Engineering Office (DPWH – ICDEO) after its officer-in-charge, Engr. Roy Pacanan, refused to attend a legislative inquiry into possible links between DPWH waterway projects and the city’s recent flooding woes.
Councilors bristled at Pacanan’s absence from Monday’s quad-committee hearing, with threats emerging to deny future project permits and even possibly brand him persona non grata — a sanction the city government had slapped on him once before.
“He is one of the most important resource persons in this investigation,” said Councilor Romel Duron, chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection and Ecology and lead convenor of the inquiry. “If he refuses to face the council and explain, then what are we left with? We cannot just keep extending invitations and get no cooperation. If this continues, there’s a real possibility that, in the coming days, we will move to deny permits for their future works and even declare him persona non grata again.”
The inquiry — jointly conducted by the committees on Environmental Protection and Ecology, Public Works, Public Safety, and Disaster Relief — seeks to determine whether DPWH’s projects in rivers, creeks, and other waterways worsened flooding.
Duron underscored that the council’s mandate is beyond question.
“The authority to call resource persons to legislative inquiries is clear. He should not be questioning our power to do this, especially when it concerns the welfare of the people,” he said. “This is about accountability, not politics.”
Councilor Rex Marcus Sarabia was blunt: “Let’s be clear — he is an appointed official. That doesn’t place him above the law, nor above public accountability. The council represents the people of Iloilo City. Refusing to appear before us is not just defiance toward the council, it is defiance toward the people we serve.”
Pacanan had already set the stage for confrontation in an Aug. 8, 2025 letter, rejecting the council’s jurisdiction and arguing that local legislative bodies lack constitutional authority to conduct investigations in aid of legislation.
He also blasted the resolution convening the hearing, accusing it of prejudging DPWH as responsible for the floods.
The district engineer defended his office’s work, insisting that projects — including those at Buntatala Creek — had nothing to do with recent inundations.
He blamed “decades-old geographic conditions” and “unregulated development” for the problem and accused some councilors and barangay officials of political maneuvering and spreading “factually erroneous” claims. He said the matter had been elevated to the DPWH Central Office.
Despite the snub, the council plans to issue another invitation to ICDEO for a follow-up hearing. But Duron warned the clock is ticking.
“We will give them a chance to appear, but this is not a game. If they think they can keep dodging the council and the public, they are mistaken,” he said. “We have measures, and we will use them if necessary.”/PN
