15 DPWH officials sacked by Ombudsman

MANILA, Philippines - Fifteen officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) were sacked from their posts for various offenses, the Ombudsman said Thursday. The Ombudsman website said overall Deputy Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro ordered DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr to immediately implement the dismissal orders. Dismissed from the service were Wilfredo B. Agustino, regional director; Rudy Canastillo, assistant regional director; Edward Canastillo, acting district office head; and Cecil Caligan, acting district office assistant head, all of the DPWH-Iloilo. Also dismissed were Rolindo Perez, OIC-district engineer; Vicente Vargas, OIC-assistant district engineer; Dennis Geduspan, Engineer III; Mayo Pelagio, Engineer III; Bernardo Yparosa, Accountant III; Jose Javier Jr, property custodian; and Pio Gareza Jr, supply officer, all of the DPWH-Negros Occidental. The others dismissed were Miviluz Aviles, chief of the systems and procedures division; and Leticia Osorio, chief of the medical-dental division of DPWH-Manila; and Geronima Muncada, cashier; and Azucena Viojan, supply officer, of the DPWH-Samar; and Abdulmunib Muksan, depot-in-charge of the DPWH-8 in Leyte. Agustino, Caligan, and the Canastillos were dismissed for grave misconduct for conspiring to give "unwarranted benefit, advantage or preference" to one Rogelio Yap, the contractor for the construction of the Bancal-Leon-Camandag Road in Leon, Iloilo. Investigation showed the said officials connived to make it appear that P6,7333,329.23 was used for the excavation phase of the project, when what was actually spent was only P38,610. While Agustino had already retired, Casimiro imposed upon him the accessory penalties inherent to dismissal, including cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, disqualification for reinstatement or reemployment and barred from taking any civil service examination. In a separate case, Perez, Vargas, Pelagio, Geduspan, Yparosa, Javier, and Gareza, all of the 4th Sub-Engineering Office of the DPWH office in Bago, Negros Occidental, were dismissed for grave misconduct in connection with irregularities in the two projects for the improvement of the Camingawan-Pandan Road in Pontevedra. A special audit of the said projects revealed a discrepancy of P8,128,768.37, representing cost of materials and labor paid but not delivered or accomplished. Also, a discrepancy of P2,968,268.33 occurred representing cost of materials and labor which were utilized or applied in the project, but which were not included among the paid items. On the other hand, Aviles and Osorio were dismissed for dishonesty and grave misconduct after Aviles incurred a three-month absence from work without filing the necessary leave of absence or authority to travel abroad. To cover up for the irregularity, Osorio issued to Aviles a medical certificate to make it appear that she was sick and rightfully on sick leave. Records, however, showed Aviles was actually in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, 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 showed Muncada would alter the name of the real payees and replace it with her own for presentment to the banks, and would alter them again for the purpose of reporting the checks as disbursements. Viojan, on the other hand, was dismissed for gross neglect of duty and simple misconduct after she signed 20 of the said checks amounting to P1,371,852.75 even if these were not duly supported by necessary documents. She was also found to have received payment for a check worth P94,967.50, although the check was not issued in her name. Muksan, an employee of the DPWH-Central Office but was assigned as Depot-in-Charge of the President's Bridge Program Depot in Palo, Leyte, was dismissed for dishonesty in connection with the alleged stealing of 176 government-owned steel bars worth P440,000. Investigation showed Muksan hired two laborers to haul and deliver the said steel bars to the junkyard of one Bienvenido Sta. Iglesia in Ormoc City, to be sold as scrap materials, without authority of the DPWH. - GMANews.TV