By Leonardo Micua

 

IT looks like the political alliance that backed the tandem of then candidates Mon-Mon Guico and Mark Lambino, with Mark Cojuangco as one of the major allies in the province, is now on the rocks.

This after Gov. Mon-Mon minced no words in criticizing the construction of the P1.4 billion Lingayen Seawall from Lingayen to Binmaley that was started by the DPWH’s Second Engineering District.  The project was initiated by Rep. Cojuangco.

The problem is, the people in the area, particularly the fisher folks, are still completely in the dark as to what structure is being built along the beach.

Gov. Guico even hinted that technical malversation may have been committed by those involved in the project, citing the General Appropriations Act (GAA) signed by President Marcos Jr. as the source of funding for the project.

He said the GAA allotted funding for the construction of access roads leading to a declared tourist destination, but this was diverted to a slope protection or seawall, which he said is a case of technical malversation actionable by the Office of the Ombudsman.

Mr. Guico also expressed his exasperation on learning that only a few barangay residents  were consulted, and the project did not even pass the level of the municipal, provincial, and regional development councils, the mandated processes for all major projects of the government before implementation.

Were there shortcuts made in the implementation of the project by the DPWH? Clearly, there were.

At the joint committee hearings of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan last week attended by Lingayen Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil, Binmaley Pedro Merrera III and stakeholders from the two towns, Gov. Guico expressed disenchantment over the project and insinuated that the project is being done without the benefit of a long study.

His frustration was exacerbated when DPWH could not produce the master plan that should describe the  multi-year planning till the project is completed in 2025.

Throughout the hearing, the governor appeared not to know anything about the project.

But believing that the governor knew of this project initiated by one of his close political allies beforehand, I activated my iPad’s search engine for the video footage uploaded personally by Rep. Cojungco on his Facebook Page on August 5.

The video footage clearly showed Gov. Guico, who was then wearing a gray sweatshirt and in jogging gear, and Mayor Bataoil, getting a hands-on demonstration from Cong. Mark at the site of the proposed seawall on the Lingayen Beach.

The video footage even showed the governor and Mayor Bataoil obliging to stand on a footstall, at the request of Cojuangco, so they can visualize if the six-meter-tall seawall can obstruct the view of the beach even if the seawall is already up.

So, the governor must have had a complete change of heart when he unexpectedly appeared during the joint SP committee hearing last week, turning his back on Rep. Cojuangco and sided with protesters of the project. I wondered if that meant he’s decided to  drop his alliance with Cong. Mark because he now sees the latter as one of his possible opponents in the 2025 election.

He even berated engineers of the DPWH for not knowing what they are doing, for starting the project without any detailed plan or a master plan, a requirement for anyone applying for an Environmental Certificate.

This outburst may have been indirectly addressed to Cong. Mark from whom DPWH engineers were getting instructions on the project.

And when DPWH engineers said they have already secured an ECC for the project, the governor demanded it to be submitted.

Upon closer scrutiny, the DPWH engineers were using an expired ECC that was used for the construction of the Lingayen Baywalk, a project initiated by then Cong. Pol Bataoil in 2015.

The DPWH was cornered and sought to clarify that while they are using an old ECC, they are also seeking its amendment with the Environmental Management Bureau, an explanation that the governor quickly shot down.

The governor said the Lingayen Baywalk is different from the new project Lingayen Beach Seawall, that’s why a new ECC needs to be secured.

It became evident that the seawall project is illegal without an ECC.

Gov. Guico’s outburst hit the ceiling when the young DPWH engineers involved in the project had no idea about Presidential Proclamation 156, series of 1993 issued by then President Fidel V. Ramos that declared the Lingayen Gulf and its vicinity as an environmentally protected area.

Aysus!

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