DPWH official denies owning P12-M house

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan — The Cagayan Valley director of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) branded yesterday as "malicious, baseless and unfounded" reports that he owns a P12-million house at BF Homes in Parañaque City.

While admitting that his family maintains a house in Parañaque, DPWH regional director Rodolfo Alday said it is only worth around P3 million, not P12 million as alleged.

Alday, who has headed the DPWH regional office for five years now, said they "legally acquired" the house "through our hard-earned money."

Aside from reportedly owning a posh Parañaque residence, Alday was also accused of amassing millions of pesos through allegedly rigged public biddings, questionable reimbursements of traveling and gasoline expenses and other questionable transactions.

He, however, denied the allegations, saying that those behind them are only after his position.

"They would do everything for my relief here. They have been peddling all these lies just to eject me out the region," said Alday, who hails from Southern Tagalog.

In his more than 30 years in the public service, Alday said, "Never was I accused of anything, from pocketing a small amount to corrupting millions of funds."

He said this is the first time that such "unimaginable accusations" have confronted him.

Recently, the so-called Reformist Bloc of Rank and File Employees of DPWH-Region 2, in a statement, also accused Alday of procuring a luxury vehicle using government funds for his personal use.

According to the group, the luxury vehicle is apart from the Nissan Frontier assigned to Alday’s office but which his family allegedly uses with the fuel regularly withdrawn in Metro Manila "even if director Alday is in Cagayan Valley."

Alday was also accused of being involved in the recent theft and sale of steel materials earmarked for the ongoing rehabilitation of the Maddiangat Bridge in Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya, and the alleged overpricing of the fabrication and installation of 54 girders for the repair of the Siffu Bridge in Roxas town.

The group claimed that it has more than enough "documentary" evidence to prove its accusations against Alday.

"He has wasted so much public money that he has already charged the government hundreds of thousands of pesos as reimbursement for his travels," the group alleged.

Alday said he will answer all the allegations point by point in the proper forum.

"I never utilized public funds for my personal interest. Never was I involved in any irregularities. I can answer all the allegations point by point in the proper forum," he said.

He said the signatories to the group’s statement accusing him of irregularities were either "non-existent or not connected, directly or indirectly, with the DPWH."

Alday expressed suspicion that "politics could be behind this smear campaign against me."