Engineers in hot water over shoddy project

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines - At least nine public engineers in Cagayan de Oro City are facing the ax over a substandard road-concreting project at a relocation site. The engineers include City Building Official Engineer Isidro Obligado, four division chiefs and four other public engineers working at the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW), who were all given until today to explain why sanctions should not be slapped against them. None of the engineers involved were immediately available for comment yesterday afternoon. In a memorandum Monday, Mayor Constantino Jaraula said the threat of disciplinary action stemmed from a road-concreting project early this year, which the City Hall inspection team found to have been certified complete despite the presence of several defects. Located inside the Calaanan Relocation Site in Barangay Canitoan, the project was certified “Satisfactorily Completed" by Engineer Obligado, then DEPW acting head, and the eight engineers. But a spot inspection conducted by a City Hall team last April 23 revealed that the concreted pavement displayed longitudinal cracks, scaling and peeling of concrete epoxy—all pointing to defects that Mayor Jaraula said could be signs of irregularity. A “Remove and Replace Order" has been issued on the defective portions of the project, Jaraula said. Nevertheless, the mayor said the engineers remain responsible for issuing completion papers on a defective project, and added that he will not hesitate to file the necessary legal action against any city government employee found guilty of “committing an irregularity in the performance of public service." It was learned that the DEPW officials had issued a “Certificate of Final Inspection" on the bungled project last February 19, stating that the project was already “100 percent physically accomplished with deficiencies already rectified." On the same day, Obligado—then the DEPW OIC—signed a certificate of project completion. Along with Obligado, also asked to explain are division chiefs Engr, Agustin Sta. Cruz of the Construction Division; Engineer Goldmar Mabulay of the Maintenace Division; Engineer Dico Acenas of the MTQC Division and Engineer Emilia Revilla of the PDP Division and four other engineers namely Jerry Nabong, Alvin Yañez, Eva Gales and Joel Momongan. - Sun.Star