3 DPWH execs relieved for shoddy repair work

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has relieved three of its officials and banned a contractor for the faulty repair of the Buendia flyover, which cost the government P87 million.

According to Public Works Undersecretary Raul C. Asis, the department decided to ban Tokwing Construction from participating in the bidding for any public works project after tests showed that the repair work it conducted on the flyover was substandard.

“Tokwing has been prohibited from participating in further biddings. In fact, it has won in a bidding for a project but we are not going to award that to [the company],” Asis said in a press conference.

He added, “So far, [the company] has not been officially blacklisted but this is in effect also a blacklisting because it can no longer participate in a bidding.”

The DPWH earlier cancelled the accreditation of two suppliers—Filipino Ready Mix Corp. and Pacific Concrete Products—after it was discovered that the asphalt they supplied for the project was also substandard.

Asis said that Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson had ordered the relief of the head of the DPWH-National Capital Region (NCR) quality control section and two material engineers after they certified that the asphalt supplied by the two companies passed government standards although it did not.

“Only two things could have happened. Either the wrong sample was taken to the laboratory or the sample was correct but they did not conduct the test and just came out with doctored results,” he added.

Reynaldo Tagudando, DPWH-NCR director, identified two of the three officials who were relieved as laboratory inspector Marcos Garcia and engineer Pedrito Famadico.

Asis said the three had been given a chance to air their side regarding the issue and that the DPWH was conducting an evaluation to determine if it should pursue the filing of charges against them.

Earlier, Tokwing was given two weeks to remove and replace the asphalt overlay on the flyover after heavy rains caused by recent typhoons caused it to peel off, leaving the structure riddled with potholes.

Asis said that the company had asked for 20 days to complete the repairs instead of the two weeks set by Singson.

He added that the repairs would probably begin next week.