15 DPWH officials, employees dismissed over misconduct

MANILA, Philippines – Fifteen officials and employees of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) were dismissed from the service after the Office of the Ombudsman found them guilty of administrative misconduct.

Overall Deputy Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro, who issued the six separate dismissal orders, ordered Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. to immediately implement the orders and submit a compliance report.

In the first case, Rudy Canastillo, former assistant regional director; Edward Canastillo, former acting district office head; Cecil Caligan, former acting district office assistant head, all of the DPWH office in Iloilo, were found guilty of grave misconduct for conspiring to give “unwarranted benefit, advantage or preference” to one Rogelio Yap, the contractor for the Bancal-Leon-Camandag Road in Leon, Iloilo in 2002.

Investigation showed that they connived to make it appear that P6,733,329.23 was used for the excavation phase of the project, which only actually cost P38,610.

Then DPWH Iloilo regional director Wilfredo Agustino was also ordered dismissed in connection with the case.

However, he had already retired in 2004 so the Office of the Ombudsman imposed on him the accessory penalties inherent to dismissal, including cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, disqualification for reinstatement or reemployment and barred him from taking any Civil Service examination.

In the second case, the anti-graft agency dismissed Rolindo Perez, officer-in-charge and district engineer; Vicente Vargas, assistant district engineer; Dennis Geduspan and Mayo Pelagio, both engineers; Bernardo Yparosa, accountant; Jose Javier, Jr., property custodian; and Pio Gareza Jr., supply officer – all of the 4th Sub-Engineering Office of the DPWH office in Bago, Negros Occidental.

All seven were found guilty of grave misconduct in connection with irregularities in two projects for the improvement of the Camingawan-Pandan Road in Pontevedra.

A special audit of the projects revealed a discrepancy of P8,128,768.37, representing cost of materials and labor paid but not delivered or accomplished.

In addition, there was a discrepancy of P2,968,268.33 representing cost of materials and labor utilized or applied in the project, but which were not included among the paid items.

The third case involves dishonesty and grave misconduct on the part of Miviluz Aviles, chief of the Systems and Procedures Division; and Leticia Osorio, chief of the Medical-Dental Division of DPWH-Manila.

The two officials were found to have incurred a three-month absence from work without filing the necessary leave of absence or authority to travel abroad.

To cover up the irregularity, Osorio issued to Aviles a medical certificate to make it appear that she was sick and rightfully on sick leave, although records show that Aviles was actually in Hong Kong.

The other cases were against Geronima Muncada, cashier; and Azucena Viojan, supply officer, both of the DPWH office in Samar; and Abdulmunib Muksan, in-charge of the DPWH regional office in Leyte.

Muncada was ordered dismissed for dishonesty after incurring a shortage of P4,586,839.35 in her accounts, consisting of unliquidated cash advances and checks issued without disbursement vouchers and supporting documents.

Investigation revealed that Muncada altered the names of the real payees and replaced them with her own for presenting to the banks, and altered them again for the purpose of reporting the checks as disbursements.

Viojan was dismissed for gross neglect of duty and simple misconduct after she signed twenty checks amounting to P1,371,852.75 even if these were not duly supported by the necessary documents.

Moreover, she was found to have received payment for a check worth P94,967.50, which was issued to another person.

Muksan, an employee of the DPWH-Central Office and assigned as in-charge of the President’s Bridge Program Depot in Palo, Leyte, was dismissed for dishonesty in connection with the alleged theft of 176 government-owned steel bars worth P440,000.

Investigation revealed that Muksan hired two laborers to haul and deliver the steel bars to the junkyard of one Bienvenido Sta. Iglesia in Ormoc City, to be sold as scrap materials, without authority of the DPWH.