BUHI, Camarines Sur: The Department of  Public Works and Highways found a controversial P42-million flood control project “unacceptable” and residents from four beneficiary barangays

expressed fear that the inevitable floods may ruin lives and properties, pointing to the shoddy 2.6 kilometer-long river control project.

The residents complained that they started feeling “uneasy and helpless” after the P42-million Rinaga river control project started collapsing portion by portion over a year ago showing its defects. The affected barangays are San Buena, San Pedro, San Pascual and San Jose Baybayon, a kilometer away from the town poblacion.

In his December 30, 2012 letter to President Benigno Aquino 3rd, retired Camarines Sur asst. district engineer Rolando Arroyo asked that the project be investigated thoroughly, saying that the affected residents’ effort to resist the P42-million scandal appeared to be getting to naught.

Public Works Undersecretary Raul Asis in a memorandum to Bicol regional director Danilo Dequito said that the explanations of engineers involved in that flood control project was “unacceptable.” Asis’ memorandum stemmed from explanations of the engineers involved and investigation findings of the Quality Control probers dispatched by Secretary Rogelio Singson.

According to documents, the project was implemented and started by the Highways department regional office on September 8, 2008 under then regional director Orlando Roces.
It was completed on September 8, 2009 under regional director Danilo Manalang.

The project was under contract with GCI Construction for P42 million and WCS Construction for the subsequent P20 million for improvement began on September 23, 2011 and allegedly completed February 19, 2012.

A document, dated March 19, 2010 or two months before the May elections, a final accomplishment report for the P42 million project was duly certified fully completed by Mendibel Sanosa, asst. chief planning division; Godofredo Beltran, chief Construction division; Antonio Saguinsin, chief Maintenance division, Fermin Peteza, chief Material, Quality Control and Hydrology division; and Eduardo Talastas, chief Planning division and implementing officer.

In a text message Saguinsin said that he knows nothing about the project, saying that he was a signatory to the duly certified final accomplishment report only in lieu of his representative in the project.

According to Maribel Buene-vente, who stood as spokesman of the complaining barangays residents, they have been feeling uneasy and restless since the start of the project, after a retired Cama-rines Sur asst. district engineer who hailed from the place questioned the implementation with his findings of several defects and deficiencies against the true contents of the program of work.

In an interview with the local media, Buenevente and Arroyo said that the flood control project is a boulder dike measuring 2.6 kilometers long.

Both Arroyo and Buenavente said that the additional funding of P20 million intended for improvement of the project, however, was used instead allegedly for the repair of the collapsed portions of the Rinaga flood control project.

In a memorandum to Dequito dated December 14, 2011, Asis ordered a six-month suspension of project engineer Vicente Miraballes from handling projects. Two other engineers Rosy Azupardo Cantara and Rowena Paras were only reminded of their duties without sanctions.

Asis’ suspension order cited an earlier sanction imposed to Miraballes by then undersecretary Teodoro Encarnacion dated January 26, 2000.