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[av_heading heading=’Workers doubt integrity of 2 DPWH-Capiz officials’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENN VIDAL BEUP
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Thursday, May 4, 2017
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ROXAS City – Some employees of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Capiz 2nd District Engineering Office doubt that their two officials are fit to be appointed to their Bids and Awards Committee (BAC).
They urged Secretary Mark Villar to look into OIC (officer-in-charge) Assistant District Engineer Yolanda B. Pugna and OIC Maintenance Engineer Mylene Villabeto, who were being groomed to become BAC chair and member, respectively, a source from the DPWH central office told this reporter on condition of anonymity.
Villar forwarded the letter-complaint, dated March 24, to Rafael Yabut, senior undersecretary for regional operations in Visayas and Mindanao. Yabut in turn ordered Undersecretary for Support Services Ardeliza Medenilla to launch an investigation, the source said.
OIC District Engineer Dene Baldonado Jr. sought the central office’s approval of the appointments of Pugna and Villabeto, who will serve the unexpired terms of Engr. Raul Armada, who was assigned at the Region 6 office, and Baldonado, who was promoted to OIC district engineer.
The BAC is being reconstituted every year. An untimely vacancy will entail a replacement to serve the unexpired term of the one who caused the vacancy.
Baldonado insisted that Pugna and Villabeto have “unquestionable integrity,” but the concerned employees believe otherwise.
“Such description of ‘unquestionable integrity’ is ridiculous, considering that they have pending cases before the Office of the Ombudsman filed by Leodegario Labao for violation of RA No. 3019, otherwise known as the [Anti-] Graft and Corrupt Practices Act,” read part of the letter-complaint, a copy of which was obtained by this reporter.
“Another case was also filed against the duo because of the huge amount of money they loaned [sic] from Labao to finance their contracting activities with the department,” the letter further read.
Labao is the mayor Mambusao town. He owns Kirskat Venture, which does contracting services with the DPWH Capiz 2nd District Engineering Office.
Labao allegedly had a falling out with Pugna and Villabeto after the BAC in 2014 declared EMQ Design and Construction, which he also represents, the winner in the bidding for the rehabilitation/repair of the Mambusao-Imbug Road costing P10,087,353, only to declare the bidding a failure.
Pugna, then BAC chairman, said in a BAC resolution dated Sept. 29, 2014 that during the post-qualification “we discovered that (the invitation) was not successfully posted (in the PhilGEPS) due to honest mistake and/or pure inadvertence.”
As a result, Labao filed a complaint against Pugna and Villabeto on Nov. 24, 2014 before the Ombudsman for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. He also accused them of “neglect of duty, inefficiency and/or incompetence in the performance of official duties, oppression, and grave misconduct.”
Pugna and Villabeto maintained that no charges have been filed against them and that they have not received a copy of any complaint filed by Labao.
It is incumbent upon any recommended BAC member to secure a Certificate of No Pending Administrative/Criminal Case before obtaining approval from the central office, the source from the DPWH central office told this reporter./PN
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