MANILA, Philippines - Seven officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Mt. Province office were recently suspended for 90 days for alleged gross misconduct and neglect of duty over a flood control project.

MANILA, Philippines - Seven officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Mt. Province office were recently suspended for 90 days for alleged gross misconduct and neglect of duty over a flood control project. DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson ordered the preventive suspension of John Marquez, officer-in-charge district engineer; Benedict Matib, chief, construction section and bids and awards committee chairman; Manuel Likigan, chief, planning and design section and BAC member; Esther Taynec, planning and design engineer and BAC vice chairman; Domingo Pumecha, assistant maintenance engineer and BAC member; Artemio Guisala, engineer II and BAC member; and Romualdo Solang, engineer II and BAC member. The respondents were also ordered to turn over DPWH documents in their custody to the DPWH-Cordillera Autonomous Region regional director within three days. In a five-page charge/order, Singson said the agency found prima facie evidence against the respondents. Marquez, Matib, Likigan, Taynec, Pumecha, Guisala, and Solang were charged with grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service. Marquez, Matib, Pumecha, and Likigan were charged with falsification of official documents. “There is a need to temporarily remove respondents from the scene of their malfeasance to prevent the possibility of their exerting undue influence or pressure on the witness/es against them as well as to prevent the possibility of their tampering with evidence that may be used against them,” Singson said. The project involves the rehabilitation of the Gonogon section of Chico River Flood Control in Barangay Talubin, Bontoc. It was awarded to Four Brothers Construction at P2.5 million even though the bid price was only P1.9 million. The project was constructed in Barangay Gonogon instead of Barangay Talubin as provided in the project’s re-invitation to bid and program of work. - By Evelyn Macairan