Tom orders probe on 3 bry. captains

ENGINEERS and officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Manila office will come to Cebu City next week to evaluate and look into the allegedly substandard and overpriced infrastructure projects implemented in the south district barangays.

Rep. Tomas Osmeña (Cebu City, south) said he is checking an allegation that Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) President Eugenio Faelnar Jr. and two other barangay captains had connived to allow E.M. Arante Construction to win in the bidding for projects in 16 of the 34 projects in the south.

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According to the records of the City’s Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW), Arante Construction won the bid for 72 contracts in 16 barangays, with a total project cost of P156 million.

DEPW’s initial inspection showed that in one of Arante’s projects in Barangay Sudlon I, the cement used for the road concreting project was not cured properly.

“We still have to finish the inspection so we can come up with a more comprehensive report on the contractor’s performance,” said Engineer Kenneth Enriquez, head of DEPW.

Because of the alleged irregularity in the awarding of the projects, the city’s 46 north district barangays will have to wait for another month or so before money for their projects can be released.

With barely two months left before the barangay elections, north district village chiefs are worried they can no longer implement their projects because of the election ban that starts on Sept. 15.

The barangay captains of Lusaran, Cambinocot, Hipodromo and other villages were at City Hall yesterday to follow up the release of the funds.

Councilor Jose Daluz III, chairman of the City Council committee on budget and finance, said they are waiting for the investigation on the projects in the south district to be completed before releasing the funds for the north district.

The projects in question were funded by the P182-million aid to the barangays, which Osmeña distributed directly to barangays when he was still mayor in November last year, and other funds released before the May elections.

Osmeña said he is looking into an allegation that Barangay Captains Faelnar, Jojo Sable of Suba and Rustico Ignacio of Inayawan had lobbied with the barangay captains to award the contracts to Arante.

Osmeña said he had asked Faelnar about the allegation but the barangay captain said he knew nothing about it.

Arante won the bidding for projects in Sinsin, Bonbon, Babag, Sudlon I, Sudlon II, Sapangdaku, Kalunasan, Pungol Sibugay, Tagba-o, Poblacion Pardo, Inayawan, Suba Pasil, Calamba, Guadalupe, Tisa and Kasambagan.

Osmeña said he trusts the barangay captains “and they can’t be trusted?”

“The people should know. I hope that this can’t affect our relations with Faelnar. I’m just worried about this information, so, we will find out,” Osmeña said.

The alleged irregularity was leaked when a barangay councilor from Kalunasan reported the alleged overpricing of the substandard riprap in their village.

For his part, Faelnar said he knows nothing about the allegation but is willing to be investigated to clear his name.

He said that while it is true that the projects in his barangay were awarded to Arante, these had gone through the bidding process.

Faelnar said Osmeña had not told him about an investigation.

Faelnar asked why he, Sable and Ignacio were being dragged into a project irregularity in Kalunasan.

He said they have nothing to do with the contractor.

Faelnar said he knows who has been sowing intrigues and dragging his name in the project irregularity.

In a phone interview yesterday, E.M. Arante Construction owner Enrique Arante denied any irregularity in the awarding of the projects to his company.

He said everything was above board.

He also denied an allegation that he has paid the barangay captains large sum of money to get the contracts.

He will wait for the results of the investigation. If the investigation finds defects in the project, he will have these corrected “at no cost to the City Government,” Arante said.

Arante also denied he got the contracts with the help of Faelnar and some barangay captains.

He got the contracts by complying with bidding procedures.

“Dili ta anang suhol-suhol kay illegal man na (I don’t go for bribery because that’s illegal),” he said.

Funding for the projects were released directly to the barangays last year to avoid red tape in City Hall, which often causes delays in implementation. The barangays have full control of the projects, from drafting of program of works and estimates to bidding of contract, implementation and monitoring. (LCR/ETB)