DPWH probes into allegedly anomalous Leyte road project

Department of Public Works and Highways secretary Rogelio Singson. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—More than a dozen Department of Public Works and Highways employees and at least 20 local contractors are being investigated by the DPWH for their involvement in the allegedly anomalous Burauen-Albueva road project in Leyte for which the  government spent about half a billion pesos between 2004 and 2010.

This was disclosed to the Inquirer on Thursday by a top DPWH official,  who  said Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson was “irked” and “very disappointed” because of the unfinished road project.

The official, who asked not to be identified by name, quoted Singson as saying, “Leave no stones unturned” and “Get into the bottom” of the case, when he ordered the investigation.

The source did not identify, however, the DPWH officials and employees involved in the alleged irregularity.

Singson said in an earlier statement he could “not figure out why this 13.7-kilometer road remains impassable and useless despite the amount of taxpayers’ money poured into this project.”

“With the amount of money spent on the road project, local residents should have already been using this road even if it is still on gravel surface. But there is no continuous road to speak of,” he  said.

In a report to Singson, the agency’s Quality Assurance Unit  said the government had “already poured some P500 million into the project that was undertaken by two DPWH engineering districts.”

The project was covered by at least 20 contracts entered into by the DPWH and local contractors between 2004 and 2010. “And yet, the road remains unfinished and cannot be used by local residents until now,” the report said, adding that some sections of the Burauen-Albuera road “cannot even accommodate any kind of land transportation, not even a motorcycle, because they remain as mountain trails.”

“Some sections of the same road are now covered by lush vegetation. Also, a crossing structure should have been put up over the Tabgas River in the Albuera section. However, there is no such bridge structure,” the report said.

Elizabeth Pilorin, head of the DPWH public information division, told the Inquirer the investigation was already ongoing but she too did not provide details.

Meanwhile, the DPWH said it would pursue the “full pavement of primary roads and bridges nationwide by 2014 and 2016, respectively.”

The target covers 15,872 kilometers of national arterial roads, 15,370 kilometers of national secondary roads and 7,958 bridges with a total length of 345,978 lineal meters.

This year, the agency has allocated P22.8 billion to preserve the existing road network and another P26.2 billion to pave 1,175 kilometers of  gravel-type roads. P7.9 billion more will be used to upgrade bridges.

According to the 2012 Global Competitiveness Report, the Philippines scored a poor 3.1 points in road quality on a scale of 1 (extremely underdeveloped) to 7 (extensive and efficient by global standards).

Vietnam scored a much lower 2.6, while other Asian countries rated as follows: Singapore, 6.5; Hong Kong, 6.2; South Korea and Japan, both 5.8; Malaysia, 5.7; Taiwan, 5.6; Thailand, 5; China, 4.4; Indonesia, 3.5; and India, 3.4.