BAGUIO CITY – Public Works Secretary Mark Villar ordered the immediate relief of former Ifugao and now Abra District Engineer Lorna Ricardo from her position pending the ongoing investigation being conducted against her by the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) for her alleged extortion of a large sum of money from an Ifugao-based contractor in exchange for a multi-million road project in the said province.
Villar, who was the guest of honor and speaker during the 14th National Convention of the District Engineers of the Philippines (DELP) here, claimed that Engr. Ricardo will be temporarily placed on floating status pending the outcome of the investigation being done by the agency’s legal affairs service in close coordination with the PACC.
“The administration will not tolerate any kind of corruption in the agency that is why we call on the public to directly report to me whatever corrupt practices that are being committed by officials and employees of the DPWH regional and district offices so that I will take the appropriate steps for the imitation of the appropriate sanctions against them,” Secretary Villar stressed.
DPWH insiders claimed that the alleged corrupt acts of Ricardo in demanding from a local contractor a huge sum of money in exchange for a multi-million road project in Ifugao is uncalled for considering that she tainted the image of the Cordillerans as she is not actually from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) but instead, she is from Davao and was only assigned in CAR several years ago.
Villar claimed that Ricardo was relieved from discharging all her duties and responsibilities as district engineer so that she will be able to face the on-going investigation against her and for her to possible refute the charges against her and clear her name as well as the image of the agency from the perception of the Filipino people.
Earlier, PACC Commissioner Gerco Bejika accused Engr. Ricardo of being a corrupt official of the DPWH for allegedly demanding from a local contractor a huge sum of money in exchange for the award of a multi-million road project in Ifugao to the said project implementor and that the said amount allegedly represents her standard operating procedure being a long time practice in the said agency.
According to Secretary Villar, President Rodrigo R. Duterte already make public his position on the corruption activities inside government agencies, the DPWH not excluded, that is why it is now incumbent on the public to substantiate their complaints against erring DPWH officials so that the agency will be able to impose the appropriate sanctions against them.
Ricardo could not be reached for comment on the actions taken by the higher authorities against her and the allegations being hurled by the whistle blower and the PACC on her for the benefit of fair play.
Villar assured complainant as against erring DPWH officials that the agency will consider all the pieces of evidence that will be presented by both parties before coming out with a reasonable judgement on whether or not the accused official or employee is really at fault in the spirit off the conduct of due process and fair play wherein issues and concerns of everyone will be brought to the fore for the appreciation of the investigators.
By Dexter A. See
