Probe sought vs ‘anomalies’ in Misamis road projects

MANILA, Philippines — The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Misamis Occidental has asked the Department of Public Works and Highways central office in Manila to investigate the alleged unfair bidding practices at the DPWH provincial office.

In a resolution issued in April, the provincial board asked DPWH Secretary Mark Villar to have the bids and awards committee and the members of the technical working group investigated for possible violation of the law.

The call was prompted by a privilege speech delivered by board member Ruvy Ala, exposing the alleged irregularities in the conduct of public bidding for infrastructure projects in the province.

Among the issues raised were the alleged suspicious circumstances in the award of road projects in the municipalities of Calamba, Concepcion and Lopez Jaena.

“With the generous discounts offered by other bidders, it is a wonder why the project was granted to a bidder who gives the least discount to the government,” the resolution read.

In the resolution, the board noted that Rep. Diego Ty of the province’s first district expressed concern over the participation of contractors from other districts in the bidding for projects in the first district.

In a radio interview, Ty said that contractors in the first district projects do not take part in the bidding for projects in the second district.

Ty is worried that the quality of the projects would suffer as some contractors offer as low as 20 percent to 30 percent discount just to secure the projects.