DPWH top officials declare support for new chief Ebdane

Top officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) declared yesterday their full support for incoming secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr.

Antonio Molano, a representative of the group Konsiyensiya which he claimed initiated the removal of former DPWH Secretary Florante Soriquez from his post, said many ranking officials of the department welcome the appointment of Ebdane, despite criticisms that he is a former police general heading a technically-oriented government agency.

"We are hoping that Secretary Ebdane will be implementing the 10-point agenda of the government and that he will be working fully with reforms in the department," Molano told the weekly Kapihan sa Sulo news forum yesterday.

Molano said many of the district engineers and regional directors are banking on Ebdane’s police background in instituting needed reforms at the DPWH.

He said many officials expect Ebdane to be professional in dealing with his subordinates while implementing true reform in the department.

Molano even likened Ebdane to former DPWH Secretary Gregorio Vigilar, a retired general, whom he described as the "best secretary the DPWH ever had."

"He (Ebdane) is a military man. We see that he is a disciplinarian like Vigilar, whom we regard as a good man and the longest-serving DPWH secretary," Molano said.

President Arroyo had ordered Ebdane, her erstwhile National Security Adviser, to crack down on reported widespread corruption within DPWH and focus on accusations of graft among its officials, including Soriquez.

Some senior DPWH officials have accused Soriquez of demanding a 15-percent cut from district engineers for projects implemented in their areas.

Soriquez has denied the accusations and claims his accusers felt threatened by reforms he had instituted in the department.

He maintained none of the 173 district engineers around the country can prove he demanded kickbacks from them.

Molano said the exchange of accusations does not deserve the label of corruption in the DPWH.

Molano said their group has been "perpetually fighting" for the implementation of reforms aimed in discouraging graft and corruption in the agency.

Molano pointed out that as early as 1997, Konsiyensiya crafted measures for reform including computerization of the bidding process, a document tracking system, and an executive information system for transparency. — Katherine Adraneda