Tabuk City, Kalinga - After waiting in vain for months for answers on the allegedly anomalous implementation of a P2M farm-to-market (FMR) project, a joint project monitoring group here has run out of patience and is suing all those involved in the project.
Claiming that they have been given the runaround by the Department of Public Works and Hjghways-Kalinga Engineering District (DPWH-KED), the group which is composed of the Kaljnga and Apayao Religious Sector Association (KARSA), the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and Provincial Agrarian Reform Coordinating Committee (PARCCOM) are in the process of filing formal charges with the assistance of the Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Governance (CCAGG).
Fr. Denver Marrero of the KARSA said that the gist of their complaint is that the process of awarding the project was grossly disregarded and that the KED paid 89 percent of the amount when only 34 percent of the project has been accomplished.
"With the project being CARP-funded, the PARO (Provincial Agrarian Reform Office) should have been the one to bid it out but according to PARO (Victoriano) Laguinday, his office only learned of the existence of the project when it was already being implemented. At least, the PARO should have been represented in the bidding but what allegedly happened was that it was the DPWH which bidded out the project," Marrero told the media.
Marrero said that the group first inspected the project on November 22,2007 and promptly informed the DPWH of its findings but only received an answer sometime in January 2008 that the implementation was slated for completion on December 27, 2007 as it was delayed due to the road having been washed out by a typhoon.
Marrero related that on March 27, the monitoring team inspected the project again this time with engineers from the DPWH.
Marrero said that after their engineers bored and measured the project, the group assessed the accomplishment to be mere 34 percent as against the claim Df the DPWH of 89 percent.
Marrero said that on March 12, the group went to see District Engineer Leo Mustard but it was Assistant District Engineer George Mi-ing, Construction Chief Ernesto Vecaldo, Project Coordinator Teodoro Owek and Project Engineer Elemar Palattao who faced them.
Marrero said that instead of being clarified, more questions arose during the meeting because Palattao who did not take part in the measurement and boring although present during inspection tried to question the accuracy of the findings.
According to Marrero, the group next recommended to the. DPWH "to explain why thecon-tractor collected P1.63M despite his accomplishment of only P667,573.43," discipline all the DPWH personnel involved in the project and blacklist the contractor from taking part in the bidding of all future CARP-funded projects.
"There was no action on our recommendation. Neither was there any response to the PARCs letter sometime in April asking for the status of the case. All our communications were duly received," Marrero said. **By Estanislao Albano, Jr.
Claiming that they have been given the runaround by the Department of Public Works and Hjghways-Kalinga Engineering District (DPWH-KED), the group which is composed of the Kaljnga and Apayao Religious Sector Association (KARSA), the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and Provincial Agrarian Reform Coordinating Committee (PARCCOM) are in the process of filing formal charges with the assistance of the Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Governance (CCAGG).
Fr. Denver Marrero of the KARSA said that the gist of their complaint is that the process of awarding the project was grossly disregarded and that the KED paid 89 percent of the amount when only 34 percent of the project has been accomplished.
"With the project being CARP-funded, the PARO (Provincial Agrarian Reform Office) should have been the one to bid it out but according to PARO (Victoriano) Laguinday, his office only learned of the existence of the project when it was already being implemented. At least, the PARO should have been represented in the bidding but what allegedly happened was that it was the DPWH which bidded out the project," Marrero told the media.
Marrero said that the group first inspected the project on November 22,2007 and promptly informed the DPWH of its findings but only received an answer sometime in January 2008 that the implementation was slated for completion on December 27, 2007 as it was delayed due to the road having been washed out by a typhoon.
Marrero related that on March 27, the monitoring team inspected the project again this time with engineers from the DPWH.
Marrero said that after their engineers bored and measured the project, the group assessed the accomplishment to be mere 34 percent as against the claim Df the DPWH of 89 percent.
Marrero said that on March 12, the group went to see District Engineer Leo Mustard but it was Assistant District Engineer George Mi-ing, Construction Chief Ernesto Vecaldo, Project Coordinator Teodoro Owek and Project Engineer Elemar Palattao who faced them.
Marrero said that instead of being clarified, more questions arose during the meeting because Palattao who did not take part in the measurement and boring although present during inspection tried to question the accuracy of the findings.
According to Marrero, the group next recommended to the. DPWH "to explain why thecon-tractor collected P1.63M despite his accomplishment of only P667,573.43," discipline all the DPWH personnel involved in the project and blacklist the contractor from taking part in the bidding of all future CARP-funded projects.
"There was no action on our recommendation. Neither was there any response to the PARCs letter sometime in April asking for the status of the case. All our communications were duly received," Marrero said. **By Estanislao Albano, Jr.
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