LEGAZPI CITY—The Commission on Audit (COA) is set to audit the P682-million Catanduanes road project whose bidding was allegedly rigged to raise P170 million in kickback.
This developed even as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) regional office here already formed a team to investigate the allegations. The investigating team is headed by Assistant Regional Director Jesus Salmo, according to Regional Director Danilo Dequito.
Earlier, Public Works legal officer Oliver Rodulfo blew the whistle that the bidding of the P682 million project for the concreting of 29-kilometer portion of the province’s circumferential road was rigged allegedly in conspiracy with DPWH officials.
In his letter of August 25 and Sept. 13 to Catanduanes state auditor Mamerto Santelices, Rodulfo said the equipment rental agreement comprising the bid documents from the winning bidders were faked and falsified. He said the awarded contractors were not performing works in the job sites and there was no heavy equipment in the job sites, he added.
Catanduanes district engineer Ignacio Odiaman said it was impossible that the P170 million could be raised by the contractors allegedly for two top provincial politicians at 5 percent and 15 percent respectively saying the projects are strictly monitored. Odiaman said bidding of the projects is a duty of the Pre-Bids and Awards Committee.
The camp of Gov. Joseph Cua and lone Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento denied any involvement in the alleged kickback demand.
The United Katandungan against Graft and Corruption (UKAG) President Eddie Rodulfo had said that aside from the 5 percent and 15-percent kickback demand, another 5-percent was allegedly reserved for the DPWH officials. The P170 million is enough to build another 14 kilometers road concreting or 340 school classrooms, the UKAG president said.
COA Regional Director Nilda B. Plaras said the COA has already started with the preliminary audit preparatory for a fraud audit from Manila. She said a taxpayer complaint had also been received by her office regarding the alleged rigged bidding.
(Manly Ugalde)
