SIX DPWH Baguio officials suspended for alleged manipulation of project bids

Baguio City, Philippines - The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) under Secretary Vince Dizon suspended six officials from the Baguio City District Engineering Office through a memorandum dated September 26, over allegations of manipulating infrastructure project bids to favor contractors allegedly connected to their relatives in exchange of a small percentage of the project cost.

In a citation, the memorandum states that said manipulation of the bidding process is allegedly done to favor contractors or companies used as dummies by the spouses and family members of certain employees of the DEO.

“It was also alleged that a particular contractor – Goldrich Construction and Trading – has been consistently favored, enabling it to secure 67 percent of the total appropriation of the projects allocated for Baguio City DEO from 2022 to 2025, excluding the projects awarded to Tango-Romeo General Construction, alleged to be a dummy or co-owned company of the latter,” the memorandum reads.

The suspended officials, as named by a national media, are District Engineer Rene Zarate, Planning and Design Section chief Cesario Rillera, Maintenance Section chief Nora Delos Santos, among others.

Other officials suspended include Planning and Design Section Engineer II Jessie Ramos and Frances Vincent Saloria, and Administrative Officer IV Frigilda Legaspi.

Said officials were given five days, as ordered by Public Works and Highways Chief Vince Dizon, to respond and explain why they should not face administrative charges, following a complaint received by the DPWH alleging their involvement in manipulating infrastructure projects processes in the Baguio City DEO in exchange for one to three percent of the project cost.

Meantime, as for Zarate, this was not his first time to face an administrative action. He was also subjected to administrative action on September 22, just four days before the memorandum was sent which ordered his suspension.

Dizon ordered a 30-day suspension on Zarate and filed charges against him for allegedly refusing to cooperate with the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, along with accusations including gross neglect, insubordination, and possible document tampering linked to Baguio flood control projects.

Zarate earlier in August declined an invitation from the Baguio City Council to appear at a forum probing alleged overpricing in various infrastructure projects, such as cat’s eye highway lights, yellow road barriers, solar-powered streetlights, and rock netting installations.

The embattled DPWH official cited a scheduling conflict, stating that he and other engineers were required to attend a regional staff meeting at the same time.

Following the suspension, Dizon warned that ignoring the directive would mean forfeiting their chance to explain their side.