Iloilo City mayor calls out DPWH on project delays

Photo from Mayor Jerry Treñas/FACEBOOK

ILOILO CITY — Mayor Jerry Treñas is asking the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for detailed updates on multiple delayed projects in this city.

The mayor said there was a need for completion dates, stressing concerns over the prolonged timelines of several initiatives.

Treñas pointed out that while DPWH provides reports, they often lacked completion dates.

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DPWH Regional Director Sanny Boy Oropel, in response, said the DPWH must report all projects to local governments.

However, the city government declared DPWH City District Engineer Roy Pacanan persona non grata on June 10 citing his office’s failure to vacate their location on city-owned property and for implementing projects without permits.

Seven projects

City Administrator Melchor Tan wrote to Oropel on July 1 to request the status of seven projects approved and funded but have either not been completed or not started construction despite the agency’s timeline.

These projects include the Mandurriao Market, a multipurpose project in Barangay Concepcion, a sports complex for the Jalandoni Memorial High School, and multipurpose buildings in the villages of Tanza Esperanza, Balantang, and Katilingban.

The Office of the Building Official (OBO) of Iloilo City revealed that numerous DPWH-Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO) projects commenced and were completed without permits.

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OBO records showed that seven projects, initiated from 2020 onward, bypassed legal processes before construction, including one public market and six multipurpose buildings.

Phase 1 of the Mandurriao Public Market, completed in June 2022, had no building permit application or initial evaluation from the OBO.

Phase 2 of the public market, which is around 95% complete as of May 2024, also lacked a building permit.

The Jalandoni Memorial National High School Sports Complex’s multipurpose building, which was finished in April 2024, also lacked submitted documents or technical requirements to the OBO.

The multipurpose building in Balantang, Jaro, which has three phases, has been suspended since January 2024 due to pending building permit approval. However, the OBO stated they have no project records in their database.

OBO head Mavi Gustilo said these projects lacked requirements after complaints from residents, and city mapping activities.

“Our people respond to the complaints, and we have personnel that are roaming around or mapping the city, and that is where we discovered that these projects lack documents,” Gustilo said.

Upon discovery, the OBO issued violation notices and work stoppages to the ICDEO.