The Crime and Corruption Watch International (CCWI) has asked the Office of the Ombudsman to review the charges filed against Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Eugenio Pipo and four other Public Works officials for the alleged anomalous awarding of multi billion peso infrastructure projects to contractors already disqualified from any DPWH biddings due to their record of ‘slippages’ in previous projects despite the prohibition of Section 34 of RA 9184.
According to records from the OMB, Pipo along with other public works officials have been slapped with graft and corruption complaints for awarding more than P5.4 billion worth of projects in Mindanao and Metro Manila to private contractors despite their violation of RA 9184 or the ‘Procurement Law.’
In two separate complaints filed before the Ombudsman last April 20, 2023, the Crime and Corruption Watch International (CCWI) said these contracts reeks of anomaly as they were awarded to contractors already disqualified from any DPWH biddings due to their record of ‘slippages’ in previous projects despite the prohibition of Section 34 of RA 9184.
The CCWI noted that under Section 34 of RA 9184, contractors who committed a negative slippage of 15 percent in any project or 10 percent negative slippage on two or more projects during the ‘post qualification’ period should have been automatically disallowed by the DPWH’s BAC to participate in any bidding—much more be awarded— with any project, especially if the contractor failed to address on time any deficiency in the project discovered during its post qualification stage.
DPWH Undersecretary Eugenio Pipo, is in charge of regional operations in Mindanao and four others whose names were withheld pending investigation.
The projects were awarded to favored contractors are ‘Geneses88 Construction’ with 13 contracts worth P695,727,983.76; ‘Mark Anthony Construction & Supply’ which got 11 contracts worth P284,840,688.90; ‘Rely Construction and Supply,’ which was awarded 10 contracts worth P499,568,460.95; ‘Agong Builders and Construction Supply,’ which was given 7 contracts worth P284,677,716.88; and, ‘Monolithic Construction & Concrete Products’ and ‘Rosbill Construction and Supply’ which were both given 4 contracts each worth P292,545,532.96 and P236,260,319.26, respectively.
The case before the OMB was collecting dust because of the alleged interference of several high ranking Public Works officials.
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