BAGUIO CITY – Public Works Secretary Mark Villar is being challenged by anti-corruption advocates to closely look into some ninety one multi-million infrastructure projects being implemented regionwide because of their reported slippage that tend to compromise the quality of the projects and lessen their projected economic life for the welfare of the general public.
In his letter to Secretary Villar, Salvador Liked, a member of the Volunteers Against Corruption, said 56 major infrastructure projects in the region have incurred negative 15 percent and above slippage while 35 projects were reported to have incurred a slippage of 0.01 up to 14.99 percent casting doubt on whether or not the projects were able to comply with the standard quality of the projects to avoid the institution of repairs on the pavements and other components of the defective infrastructure projects.
The 91 projects with reported slippage were said to be part of the 2016 infrastructure projects under the regional office of the Department of Public works and Highways (DPWH) in the Cordillera based on their respective individual status reports prepared by the various monitoring teams.
Liked called on Secretary Villar to use the 2016 individual status reports of projects to gauge the performance of contractors in the region so that those that incurred slippage should no longer be awarded projects to implement in the 2017 national budget where there are numerous projects that are set to be bidded out for implementation this year.
“Bad performing contractors should no longer be allowed to participate in future biddings or should not be allowed to be awarded projects this year because the slippage that they have incurred could be traced to their political benefactors who demand from them excessive fees in exchange for the projects to be awarded them through alleged rigged bidding,” Liked stressed.
He reminded Secretary Villar that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte have time and again pronounced that politicians should not meddle in the bidding and implementation of government projects, thus, people should now be brave enough in reporting those politicians, especially congressmen, who continue to interfere in the bidding of projects so that their anointed contractors will be the ones to get the awards.
The 56 identified projects with negative 15 percent and above and their corresponding contractors were Alfonso Lista-Aurora boundary road – CR Domingo Construction and Power Development Inc.; Banaue-Mayoyao-Alfonso Lista-Isabela boundary road – Alfalfa Construction; Rizal national road (Babalag-Kinama-San Francisco section) – Omengan Construction and Development Corporation; Poblacion-Lappa-Marag road leading to Marag Valley in Luna, Apayao – KVC Construction; Banaue-Mayoyao-Alfonso Lista-Isabela boundary road – COLBY Construction; Kalinga-Abra road – BHM Construction; Acop-Kapangan-Kibungan-Bakun road – Gonzalo Construction and EKC Construction and Aggregates joint venture; Banaue-Mayoyao-Alfonso Lista-Isabela boundary road – Alfalfa Construction and COLBY Construction join venture; Claveria-Calanasan-Kabugao road – KOUZBARY Builders and Jomarcann General Construction joint venture; Asin-Km. 8-Nangalisan-San Pascual- Tuba, Benguet-Aringay national road – 3K Rock Engineering; Malalao national road (Agbannawag-Malalao-Bulo section) – D.C.E Construction; Acop-Kapangan-Kibngan-Bakun road – Alfalfa Construction; Mangkingao-Am-am via Masca-Sayapot road leading to Am-am observatory rock, burial cave, Cada farm and Kenny farm, Mankayan, Benguet – MG Samidan Construction; junction Talubin-Barlig-Natonin-Paracelis-Calaccad road – Fiat Construction Services and MG Samidan Construction and Tadian General Construction join venture; Turod-San Gregorio-Shalom-Lussok road leading to Lussok cave, Luna, Apayao – Feat Construction Services; Sabangan-Sagada road leading to Poblacion, Sagada, Mountain Province and Sumaguing cave, hanging coffins, Bomod-ok falls, Bulong falls, Marcos cave – E.T. Latawan Construction; Calveria-Calanasan-Kabugao road – Alfalfa Construction; JNR-Natubleng-Nabalicong-Cabuguiasan-Pacso-Tonglo-Saclalan road leading to various tourist attractions in Buguias, Benguet – Fiat Construction Services; Tabuk-Banaue via Tanudan-Barlig road – R.S. Sepian Construction and Trucking; Ubao-Taang road – Alfalfa Construction; junction Talubin-Barlig-Natonin-Paracelis-Calaccad road – Fiat Construction Services and TNJ Buhong Construction join venture; Kiangan-Tinoc-Buguias road – Alfalfa Construction and Phranaret Construction joint venture; Acop-Kapangan-Kibungan-Bakun road – Northern Builders; Benguet-Nueva Vizcaya road – EKC Construction and Aggregates; Asin-Km. 8-Nangalisan-San Pascual- Tuba, Benguet-La Union – 3K Rock Engineering; junction Talubin-Barlig-Natonin-Paracelis-Calaccad road – Omengan Construction and Development Corporation; replacement of weak bridges (temporary to permanent) Matalag bridge along Conner-Kabugao road – Tokwing Construction; Camp 5 bridge 2 along Kennon road – Tokwing Construction Corporation; Ubao-Taang road – COLBY Construction; Lubuagan-Batongbuhay-Abra boundary road – KVC Construction; Kiangan-Tinoc-Buguias road – Paula Mae Buhong Construction; Kaingan-Tinoc-Buguias road – Alfalfa Construction; Baay bridge along Abra-Cervantes road – Werr Construction; Kennon road – Tryst Builders Enterprises; Lubuagan-Batongbuhay-Abra boundary – R.S. Sepian Construction and Trucking; Baguio-Bontoc road – EKC Construction and Aggregates; Liwan bridge along Kalinga-Cagayan road (Calannan-Enrile section) – VUC Engineering; Kennon road – Jaben General Construction and Engineering Services; Abra-Ilocos Norte road – KVC Construction; Kiangan-Tinoc-Buguias road – Arcel Construction; Allog bridge along Kalinga-Cagayan road – VUC Engineering; Kalinga-Abra road – Fiat Construction Services; Salongsong bridge and approaches – Camia Construction and Development Corporation; Kinopot bridge and approaches – D.C.E. Construction; Dakitan bridge and approaches – Alfalfa Construction and Balbalan-Pinukpuk road, Abut A of Baay bridge – Supreme EBF Construction and ELJAKE Builders join venture.
By HENT