COA reports more ‘ghost’ Bulacan projects to ICI
Four flood control projects in Bulacan worth more than P344 million were flagged by state auditors for alleged systemic irregularities, including “ghost” structures and mismatched project sites, implicating officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and several private contractors.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Commission on Audit (COA) said it has submitted four fraud audit reports (FARs) to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) involving projects under the DPWH Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office.
To date, the COA said it has submitted 12 reports to the ICI and nine to the Ombudsman, while eight others are still under internal processing by the agency.
The latest FAR covered the following projects that were either constructed on a different site or were found to be nonexistent:
• Riverbank protection project in Barangay San Roque (Purok 2), Baliuag, Bulacan, worth P74.15 million that was awarded to SYMS Construction Trading;
• Riverbank protection project in Barangay San Roque, Baliuag, Bulacan, valued at P96.50 million and awarded to M3 Konstract Corp.;
• Riverbank protection project at Balagtas River, Barangay Santol, Balagtas, Bulacan, worth P96.5 million and won by Elite General Contractor and Development Corp., and
• Riverbank protection project in Barangay Caingin, Malolos City, Bulacan, with a contract price of P77.2 million and awarded to Wawao Builders Corp.
Criminal complaints
The COA said all four projects exhibited similar irregularities, noting that its investigators found the first project on a location different from the approved site.
Additionally, the second and third projects purportedly implemented by M3 Konstract and Elite General were approved despite the presence of riverbank structures in the same areas specified in their contracts.
The project by Wawao Builders, meanwhile, was found to be nonexistent or had no structure at all despite being marked as 100-percent complete in DPWH records.
Implicated by the COA in the four anomalous projects are former officials, engineers and personnel of the DPWH office in the first district of Bulacan, namely Henry Alcantara, Brice Hernandez, Ernesto Galang, Jaypee Mendoza, John Michael Ramos, Ronalie Pagtalunan, Prince Earl Deocampo, Jolo Marl Tayao, Paul Jayson Duya, Lemuel Ephraim SD. Roque, Jasmine Jean Gonzaga, Irene Ontingco, Jefferson Buendia, Michelle Cruz, Jaime Hernandez, and Norberto Santos.
The contractors liable for the projects, according to the COA, are Sally Santos of SYMS Construction Trading; Louis Raphael DG. Tiqui and the officers and board members of M3 Konstract; Maritoni Melgarito as well as the officers and directors of Elite General Contractor, and Mark Allan Arevalo of Wawao Builders.
The commission said these officials and private individuals may face criminal complaints for possible violations of Republic Act No. 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act), the Revised Penal Code (malversation of public funds and falsification of documents), and COA Circular No. 2009-001 (failing to submit supporting documents and other accounting irregularities).
Focus on top contractors
Out of the 421 validated “ghost” and anomalous flood control projects across the country, the ICI is prioritizing the probe of 80 projects involving the top 15 contractors that were earlier named by President Marcos for cornering 20 percent of flood control projects under his administration.
This was disclosed on Wednesday by ICI special adviser and former Philippine National Police chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. prior to the commission’s high command conference with the Office of the Ombudsman, Department of Justice, National Bureau of Investigation, DPWH, the police, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Camp Crame in Quezon City.
Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon earlier said that the 421 validated anomalous projects were among the 8,000 flood control projects inspected nationwide.
The 15 contractors named by the President are Legacy Construction Corp.; Alpha & Omega General Contractor and Development Corp.; St. Timothy Construction Corp.; QM Builders; EGB Construction Corp.; Topnotch Catalyst Builders Inc.; Centerways Construction and Development Inc.; Sunwest Inc.; Hi-Tone Construction and Development Corp.; Triple 8 Construction and Supply Inc.; Royal Crown Monarch Construction & Supplies Corp.; Wawao Builders; MG Samidan Construction; L.R. Tiqui Builders Inc., and Road Edge Trading and Development Services.
Ilocos, Cebu next
Azurin also said that the ICI will be investigating flood control projects in Ilocos this week and in Cebu next week.
“The other week, we were in Davao. So, this week, we intend to go to the Ilocos Region next. And then, hopefully by Sunday, we’ll be in Cebu. Those are the ongoing activities of the ICI,” Azurin said in a mix of English and Filipino. We’ll go to central Cebu, Cebu City and Mandaue. We’ll go to those badly affected [by the recent typhoon]… We’ll see why that happened despite the large funding allocated for them.”
Cebu Gov. Pam Baricuatro previously lamented the devastation brought to the province by Typhoon “Tino” (international name: Kalmaegi) last week despite the supposed P26 billion allocated for flood control projects there.
“We are now getting the bid documents through the help of the CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) and the NBI because they have subpoena powers,” Azurin said. —WITH REPORTS FROM MARY JOY SALCEDO AND JASON SIGALES
