BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – Mayor Jerry Treñas laughed off the claim of the officer-in-charge of the Department of Public Works and Highways – Iloilo City District Engineering Office (DPWH-ICDEO) that the “persona non grata” declaration caused “irreparable damage” to him and his office.
In his press briefing, Treñas said the office of Engr. Roy Pacanan, ICDEO officer-in-charge, instead caused “irreparable damage” to the Ilonggo community due to unfinished or delayed completion of drainage and other vital infrastructure projects.
The mayor noted that billions of public funds have been spent by the DPWH to repair or construct drainage systems in the country.
However, he said that flooding on major thoroughfares persists despite billions of pesos poured in to build or repair the drainage.
“Ano sala sang city kon magbaha abi? OBO (Office of the Building Official) has been very lenient to them (ICDEO). They have to submit their requirements and OBO will just process them. But if they do not comply, what can the OBO do?” said Treñas.
In his response to the memorandum of Engr. Sanny Boy Oropel, DPWH-6 director, Engr. Pacanan voiced his displeasure at how City Administrator Melchor Tan implied that the seven projects were ordered to cease due to ICDEO’s failure to secure building permits. “OBO (Office of the Building Official), under him, is procrastinating to act upon the building permit applications. Unfortunately, the former may be completely unaware of the latter’s acts,” read Pacanan’s reply to Oropel’s memorandum.
In a memorandum dated July 23, Oropel ordered Pacanan to comply with the requirements before the issuance of building permits required by OBO relative to the seven projects implemented by ICDEO.
Lawyer Manuel Magbanua, Jr., counsel for OBO, had debunked insinuations that the OBO is hindering the progress of important infrastructure projects within the city.
Mayor Treñas sent a letter to Pacanan following OBO’s denial that it has deliberately delayed various infrastructure projects being implemented by the ICDEO.
The mayor noted that at least seven projects DPWH-ICDEO within the metropolis could not be found in OBO.
Apart from the seven projects, Treñas also mentioned the ICDEO did not submit any application for building permits for its 27 projects that passed the initial technical evaluation processes.
Treñas has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with the ICDEO’s handling of infrastructure projects, which he claims have not met the city’s standards and timelines.
This tension has led to a series of actions, such as the declaration of Pacanan as persona non grata and the revocation of several permits for ICDEO.
Pacanan was quoted as saying the delayed issuance of permits by OBO hampered the completion of several vital infrastructure projects within the city.
These projects include the rehabilitation of the Mandurriao public market and construction of Barangay Concepcion, City Proper multipurpose building, Jalandoni Memorial High School sports complex, Tanza Esperanza multipurpose building, Santa Filomena, Arevalo multipurpose building, Balantang multipurpose building, and Barangay Katilingban multipurpose building.
In his reply to the memorandum, Pacanan said his office assisted the contractors to expedite the process of the building permits for the seven projects.
He said the construction of phase 1 of the multi-purpose building in Barangay Concepcion, City Proper was completed on April 8, 2024. Phase 2 of the project was suspended pending the issuance of a building permit.
Contrary to the statement of OBO, Pacanan noted the initial evaluation of the technical plans was received by the mayor’s office on May 27, 2024. However such technical plans have yet to be returned to the ICDEO or its contractor.
Likewise, phase 1 of the construction of the Santa Filomena multi-purpose building was completed on Feb. 10, 2024.
The funding and construction date of phase 2 of the above project would depend on the completion of the Arevalo public market, a city-funded project.
The initial evaluation of the technical plans was to the mayor’s office on May 7, 2024, but Pacanan said the application documents were returned to ICDEO only on June 7, 2024.
Phase 1 of the rehabilitation of the Mandurriao public market was completed on June 20, 2024, while phase 2 is 94.96 percent completed as of May 31, 2024.
The initial evaluation and technical plans were forwarded to the mayor’s office on May 27, 2024, and were returned to the contractor only on June 28. The rest of the ICDEO’s projects suffered almost the same fate.
Pacanan said the City Council issued a resolution revoking the authority of ICDEO over the seven projects and declared him “persona non grata” in June although he had just less than one year since he assumed office.
He said the city administrator sent him a letter dated July 1 requesting the status of the seven projects. The City Treasurer’s Office also requested the project contractors’ information on all the projects under ICDEO.
“These concerted efforts impede the implementation of the nationally funded projects are too obvious to ignore. The unfavorable delays in the implementation of the civil works have deprived our people of the benefits of the projects,” said Pacanan.
Despite having been tagged as an unwelcome person in the city, Pacanan said they complied with the request to process the lacking building permits./PN
