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.

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He said the S.O.P of a congressman in a multi-million pesos’ project is 10% in Pangasinan.

S.O.P is an awkward acronym for Standard Operating Procedure that is juxtaposed how the cut in a multi-million pesos’ project is divided by government officials.

 A mayor-contractor in the province told this newspaper that S.O.P varies.

He said in some congressional districts in the province some solons ask as high as 20% cut from the contractor of the project.

“Ang bigayan po namin sa district na pinangalingan ko, pag horizontal gaya ng highway 20% sa opisyal, pag vertical gaya ng DepEd buildings at iba pa 15%.”.

An incumbent mayor was surprised because customarily the bribe for a congressman in his district was  7% only.
“Mataas ang vertical ninyo, dito sa amin 7% lang kasi maliit lang ang kita diyan sa buildings,” the mayor told him.

The source said that a contractor gives 5% to the District Engineer of the DPWH who divides it among himself and his officials.

“Unlike in Mindanao where they give 7% to the D.E, here in Luzon we only give 5%”.

The two losing bidders who participated in the Moro-Moro are given two to three percent of the worth of project to divide between them to placate them for not winning the bid and for conspiring at the expense of the government.

When the source was not given a bid document to competitively tender in a project because employees of the DPWH would not make an Order of Payment for the document, he told them he would bring media men to expose the anomaly.

“After 20 minutes tumawag si congressman. Mayor ako nagpa pondo ng project na iyan,” the former mayor-contractor told this writer.

“Kung kayo nagpa pondo galing ba iyan sa bulsa ninyo? Sinabi ko, “ he rebuffed the solon.

But the congressman begged him on the telephone to cave in so his favored contractor get the project.

The ex- mayor said he could win the tender easily in an honest bid to the advantage of the government but the humility of the congressman disarmed him.

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A contractor in my province reacted on my news article's Projects in DPWH's Districts are Fixed. 

When I mentioned there the S.O.P or bribe given by a contractor who won the bid at the Department of Public Works & Highway on the multi-million pesos’ construction of government infrastructure to a congressman and the DPWH’s district engineer, he said the bribe given to a solon, National Irrigation Administration’s Provincial Manager, and others in Central and Eastern Pangasinan vary.

“Pare, don’t quote me. Ang bigayan sa Eastern Pangasinan sa construction ng school building ay 12%; Roads and Flood Construction Project 20%; Irrigation 10%”.

In Central Pangasinan, he said the S.O.P is lower.

“Geez, the greed of politicians and public officials in that part of the province is moderate,” I told myself.

The source said the bribe for the school project is 8%; Road and Flood Control 10%, NIA 3 % to 5% .

“Mabuti pa noong congressman si Mark Cojuangco, hindi siya humihingi ng S.O.P,” he reminisced one of the few solons in the country who rejected bribery.

During the terms of Mark and wife former congresswoman Kimi Cojuangco at the Fifth District, contractors grudgingly lauded their bribe - free morality.
"Sige na, huwag mo na akong bigyan. Iyong SOP ko idagdag mo na lang doon sa quality ng kalsada," Mark told a contractor.

But there was a dilemma: Contractors would prefer to bribe the congressmen than dealing with the Cojuangcos.

“They were very strict, they saw to it that the buildings and highways were built on the standard mandated by law”.

There was a case where Mark Cojuangco told us reporters that he chided the district engineer of the DPWH.

“Tinanong ko kung iyong mga ugat ng acacia ay tinangal bago ni semento and kalsada. Ang sabi hindi. Nagalit ako dahil magiging ampaw iyong ugat at babagsak ang semento ng kalsada doble’ gastos sa gobyerno,” he said on the suspected Jerry built construction.

When I told a congresswoman about the No Bribe Stance of the Cojuangcos, this what she told me: Ikaw naman Mortz, e mayayaman na iyang mga Cojuangcos kaya hinde na nila kailangan ang lagay

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