Explain lavish lifestyles, 10 DPWH execs ordered

Ten regional and district officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways have been ordered to explain their reported lavish lifestyles, their failure to cooperate with authorities in ongoing investigations on anomalies, and the existence of substandard DPWH flood control projects in their jurisdictions.

- RAINIER ALLAN RONDA

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said show-cause orders have been sent to the officials, requiring them to submit written explanations within five days of receipt of the orders.

"We have sent out show-cause orders... There's a process we have to follow because many of them are civil service employees or officials and there's a process we have to follow," Dizon said. "This is the start of the process, and later on, depending on the results of the investigation, appropriate administrative charges against them."

Asked to explain were Gerard Opulencia, DPWH National Capital Region director; Danilo Villa, DPWH-Region 7 (Central Visayas) regional director, and lawyer Brando Raya, head of the DPWH Region 7 right-of-way acquisition and legal division.

Khadaffy Tanggol, DPWH-Cordillera Administrative Region regional director, has been issued a show-cause order for not cooperating in the ongoing investigation on anomalies in flood control projects being conducted by the Senate Blue Ribbon committee and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure.

Explanations are being sought from former DPWH-Region 4-B (Mimaropa region) district engineer Gerald Pacanan, former DPWH Las Piñas-Muntinlupa district engineer Isabelo Baleros, DPWH Pampanga 1st district engineering office engineer Almer Miranda, La Union DEO engineer Gil Lorenzo, Quezon City 1st DEO engineer Arturo Gonzales Jr. and Quezon City 2nd DEO engineer Johnny Protesta Jr. for the substandard projects in their respective jurisdictions.

"This is the process laid down by our civil service law so we have to follow it," Dizon said, referring to the issuance of the show-cause orders.

At the Senate, Blue Ribbon committee chairman Panfilo Lacson said former public works chief Manuel Bonoan cannot claim to have been caught off guard by recent disclosures of corruption in district offices of the DPWH, as he had risen from the ranks before retiring.