The tragedy in all these is that they are so commonplace to have become an accepted fact of life—all the sloppy work of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). For decades, taxpayers have been shortchanged by road works that were never really carried out to the letter in many parts of our communities.
In a 2009 Pulse Asia survey, the DPWH topped all other government agencies in the “most corrupt list.” It was followed by the Department of Education (DepEd). Other lists would put the agency on top with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), almost always the DPWH is as permanent as a star in that firmament of corrupt agencies.
The rampant stealing of money in those agencies with no small help from the contractors themselves who are in cahoots with top and ground officials only amount to intermittent complaints by taxpayers.
A few, however, ended up in litigation, such as the case on the 2007 overpricing of lampposts in Cebu. The Sandiganbayan Sixth Division sentenced in a Sept. 29, 2020 decision three former officials of the DPWH and a private individual to six to eight years in prison after they were found guilty of corruption in the P365-million purchase and installation of the overpriced lampposts in relation to Cebu’s hosting of the 2007 Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit. That’s 13 long years before the law caught up with these officials.
These former officials, and we find it necessary to mention them, are: Robert Gingging Lala, then DPWH 7 regional director; Pureza Fernandez, then acting chief of the maintenance division; Agustinito Hermoso, then member of the bids and awards committee; and Gerardo Surla of Gampik Construction and Development Inc.
This is the kind of accountability the public wants as far as the DPWH is concerned. Although the length of litigation may render the issue cold, but the recent decision we hope sends a chilling effect on the perpetrators of rampant stealing in the many corners of transactions in the agency.
Following President Rodrigo Duterte’s expression of frustration on the incessant corruption in the DPWH, government intends to tap the help of an independent body to investigate corruption in the agency.
DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, however, said the agency has an internal investigative task force, which is set to release its findings next month. The body is headed by Assistant Secretary Mel John Versoza with Direvtor Gliricidia Tumaliuan-Ali as vice chairperson. The members are Director Michael Villafranca and OIC Director Andro Santiago.
What government can do, if it is at all sincerely zealous in its drive to fight corruption in that agency, is to seek the help of stakeholders. For one, it can educate the public on the patterns of corruption by identifying which areas exactly where the hijacking of public funds takes place. As we always say, sunlight is the best disinfectant.