Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH-6) Regional Director Sanny Boy Oropel described as “harassment” the graft and corruption complaint filed by a watchdog group against officials of the agency before the Office of the Ombudsman.

Crimes and Corruption Watch International (CCWI) accused Oropel and other DPWH-6 officials of favoring Iloilo City-based contractor International Builders Corp. (IBC) in awarding multibillion-peso projects last year.

In a statement, Oropel said like the previous charges filed by the group, he is confident that the latest complaint will be dismissed by the Ombudsman for lack of basis.

“Considering the outcome of the previous cases filed by CCWI, it is evidently clear that the instant case is just as frivolous and filed solely for the purpose of harassing [them],” he stressed.

“This harrassment is further exemplified by the fact that certain contracts referenced in the instant complaint were already included and discussed in a previous complaint,” Oropel added.

The regional director noted that for the “spirit of transparency,”  DPWH-6 “freely allowed” CCWI to attend their public biddings despite not being officially selected as one of the observers for the agency.

Oropel said CCWI “never raised any question and/or noted any irregularity in the conduct of the procurement process.”

According to the agency’s top official, all projects, including those awarded to IBC, underwent competitive bidding, which was broadcasted to the public through livestream and where multiple bidders participated.

“Of the losing bidders, not a single one questioned or attributed impropriety or irregularity to the conduct of the procurement process,” said Oropel.

“The Commission on Audit (COA) had not issued any adverse findings in its review of the contract of DPWH Region VI particularly on the contracts [awarded to IBC],” he further said.

Oropel said they are considering taking legal actions against Carlo Magno Batalla, CCWI founding chairman, for “embarrassing, maligning and besmirching the reputations DPWH-6 and its officials.

“It is just unfortunate that Mr. Batalla maliciously used media platforms to get attention in his filing of the complaint to the gross prejudice of the [regional director and other officials as well as the] office they represent including the embarrassment the respective members of their families had suffered,” he said.

Other officials named in the complaint were district engineers Robert Palmera, Randolfo Melosantos, Allan Rey Pajimna, Roy Pacanan, and Bernadette Betsy Uy; Bids; and Awards Committee (BAC) chairperson Mary Grace Bulaquina-Hachuela, vice chairperson Marilou Zamora, and members Ormel Santos, Gladwyn Ledesma, Roland Rainier Victorino, and Ricardo Gutierrez.

CCWI also sued IBC president Helen Edith Lee Tan.

Specifically, the group accused the officials of violating Republic Act (RA) 12009, the Government Procurement Reform Act (RA 9184), the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (RA 6713), and the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019).

“IBC has a lot of delayed projects, but they were still given several projects, which is a violation of the law,” Batalla said.

“When a contractor performs poorly, they should no longer be eligible for future contracts, especially when their performance is consistently negative,” he added.IMT