Projects' Bidding in DPWH’s Districts are Fixed

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

 A former mayor and an official of a congressman said that all government projects being bidded at many districts of the Department of Public Works & Highway are fixed.

The officials, who speak on condition of anonymity, cited that those projects have been given to the favored contractors of the solon at the district in Pangasinan where the projects are intended.

“Ako ang tirador ni congressman noon. May pre-qualification bid iyan ayon sa R.A 9184. Mahabang proceso. May pass –fail criteria pa iyon documents mo. My post – qualification pa. It’s sad to say all bidding in public works lahat fixed iyon,” the aide of a solon stressed to this writer.

Republic Act 9184 is Modernization, Standardization and Regulation of the Procurement Activities of the Government.

Money exchanges hands between a contractor and a corrupt government official.

Based on his experiences those projects intended for a district need the imprimatur of a congressman who decides whom it can be awarded in a bid.

“Takot ang D.E ng DPWH sa congressman,” he said.

D.E is District Engineer or the top honcho of the DPWH in a selected number of local government units that include a city and towns or purely towns only.

10 Years Jail Time vs Cultural Property Vandal

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

When the private contractor of the Department of Education imprudently and controversially stripped to bare bones early this month the historical landmark’s Economics Building in Dagupan City that once housed United States Pacific Supreme Commander and Five-  Star Army General Douglas MacAthur during his liberation campaign in World War II, old timers and historical buff’s Jaycekeen and other stakeholders  cried “desecration”, “mutilation”, and whatchacamallit to the gall of the DepEd leadership in Manila and Dagupan City and  the private contractor, who is an ally of the city’s mayor, when they scandalously stripped off the walls and floors of the edifice and dumped them to the ground for the elements to consume.

DESTRUCTION - The two-storey bare to the bones Economics cum MacArthur Building recklessly stripped off by its walls, floors, and other materials by the Department of Education and its contractor raised furors from stakeholders in Dagupan City who cried destruction of the heritage house used as headquarter by United States Pacific Supreme Commander and Five-  Star Army General Douglas MacAthur during his liberation campaign in World War II. The DepEd said it wanted to restore the edifice to correct deterioration. PHOTO CREDIT: PNA

DESTRUCTION - The two-storey bare to the bones Economics cum MacArthur Building recklessly stripped off by its walls, floors, and other materials by the Department of Education and its contractor raised furors from stakeholders in Dagupan City who cried destruction of the heritage house used as headquarter by United States Pacific Supreme Commander and Five-  Star Army General Douglas MacAthur during his liberation campaign in World War II. The DepEd said it wanted to restore the edifice to correct deterioration. PHOTO CREDIT: PNA

RPG-7s, M-79s Fired at this Gov'nor

  

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

In a huddle with fellow media men, some of them cited that the recent ambush of former Pangasinan governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. that killed his body guard and driver and wounded his other escorts was due to the volleys of fire from high powered assault rifles M-14 and M-16.

“The ten gunmen positioned at the ambush site in a close quarter military fashion,” a radio commentator who quoted what provincial police director and Colonel Redrico Maranan told them in the earlier press conference held at the San Carlos City's police station.

I told them that the bush-whack of the former regional police director and ex- congressman in his two convoy vehicles was child’s play if one's compared how malefactors in our place in Mindanao pounced on a then incumbent governor.

ROCKET FIRE - A gun man wielding a lethal Russian made Rocket Propelled Grenade -7 (RPG-7) waits for the signal to blast in an ambush fire several convoys of the cruising  sports's utility vehicle's Chevrolet Suburbans below the buildings.

In July 3, 2001 Maguindanao Governor Datu Andal Ampatuan, Sr. (yes Virginia the patriarch of those Ampatuan siblings who killed 32 journalists out of the 58 they ordered slain) and his security escorts were on board five vehicles on their way to Cotabato City from coastal town of Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao when they were ambushed by treacherous brigands.

30 Muslim gunmen, who positioned on both sides of the highway in Barangay Salimbao, Sultan Kudarat, daringly opened fire at them with Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG-7s), shoulder-borne M79 projectiles, and machine guns.

Compared to the M-14 and M-16 assault rifles used by the hired hands against Espino, RPG has a grenade that protrudes from its launch tube with a size of 40–105 millimeters in diameter and weighs between 2.0 and 4.5 kilograms compared to the minuscule 7.62 x 51 mm and 5.56×45mm  bullets of the M-14 and M-16.