Contractor files plaint against 3 city engineers before Ombud

CEBU, Philippines - Three city engineers are facing charges before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas for allegedly harassing one of the regular contractors of the Cebu City Government.

In his complaint, engineer Robert Montenegro of Fe & A Construction Services alleged that he received a suspension order for all their construction activities in cluster 4 dated January 23, 2012.

He added that the order came after he refused to give respondents “unjustified demands.”

The respondents allegedly “demanded” from them one unit brand new computer, one high-tech camera saying the computer in their office has “bogged down.”

Montenegro added that respondents likewise repeatedly asked them to sub-contract some of their projects “using somebody as dummy.”

“What was surprising was their interest to sub-contract some of our projects using somebody as dummy, to benefit them financially, which they repeatedly asked from us,” complaint reads.

“This is something which I could no longer swallow after I have given them some sort of incentives and monetary dole-outs and the like, in return was to divest us the right to undertake and continue bidding for the city projects, to be given to their favored contractors,” complaint further reads.

Named respondents were Juanito Pua Jr., head of the construction division; Joel Pasatiempo, project engineer/inspector and June Nadine Sison, assistant city engineer, all from the Office of the City Engineer, Cebu City.

They were the ones who supervised and inspected the projects.

The complaints filed were for violation of Republic Act 3019, otherwise known as Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, Grave Abuse of Authority, Gross Misconduct and Conduct Unbecoming of Government Employees.

Montenegro also said that on June 15, 2012, the respondents issued an order to resume the projects.

The said project, which was awarded to them through public bidding, were the construction of Stone Masonry at Sitio Riverside, Sanciangko St., Barangay Pahina Central; Construction of a Concrete Lined Canal with cover at Sitio Villa Bulsita, Barangay Bulacao; City Medical Center Emergency Room Renovation, Pahina Central and Construction of Concrete Lined Canal with cover at Sitio Baud Miller, Barangay San Nicolas Proper.

Citing that he has no more trust in the capacity of the respondents to inspect and supervise their project, Montenegro said that through counsel, he wrote a letter request to lawyer Evangeline Abatayo, chairperson of the bids and awards committee, to replace respondents.

Thereafter, he said every time they request something from the Office of the City Engineer almost all their requests were “turned down or have a long delay.”

One of the requests was the release of the ten percent retention money after they completed a project in Barangay Toong.

Montenegro said the respondents did not release the retention money which was more or less P150,000 due to the alleged “untruthful allegations.”

“It is now very obvious their desire to destroy our reputation and make us suffer their wrath on us for not submitting to their whims and caprices and with such grave abuse of authority to pin us down to our knees,” he said.

He said filing the said case would mean cleansing the people in the government.

For her part, Assistant Engr. June Nadine Sison denied the allegations and said that they are willing to face the charges filed against them.

She said she does not know Montenegro’s motive for filing the complaint.

 “Wala’y kamatuoran… ambot unsa’y motive niya, (That’s not true. I don’t know what his motive is.)” she said.

 As of yesterday, Sison said they have yet to receive a notice from the Ombudsman for their reply. — (FREEMAN)