Deretsahan
Pangasinan contractors excluded
By Bebot Villar
NABANGIT ko na in the past na the contractors of Pangasinan were up in arms, figuratively, against the DPWH for excluding them from participating in the bidding for the Carmen exit of TPLEx (to Baguio and Nueva Ecija). There were local contractors who got wind of the bidding through their connections, (since the project was not well advertised), pero sinabihan sila by well-meaning friends na joining the bidding would be an exercise in futility. As expected, lahat na-disqualify.
Curiously, the winning bidders were always from Tarlac. Incidentally, instead of conducting the bidding in Pangasinan, the bidding was done in Manila, dahil siguro nandun ang best chefs who can cook raw sashimi deals, and away from the prying eyes of our local contractors.
Si Mayor Zaplan of Sta. Barbara, being an LP guy and a contractor himself, tried to get a sub-contract from the winning bidder, Northern Builders, for the supply of soil for the road embankment. Pumayag naman ang Northern Builders at P140.00 per cubic meter.
Armed with his sub-contract, Mayor Zaplan mobilized his equipment and manpower, only to find out that after he started to supply soil for the TPLEx embankment, Northern Builders terminated the sub-contract. Bakit? Kasi hindi pumayag si Mayor Zaplan na ibaba ang price to P110.00, per cubic meter. This totally flabbergasted Mayor Zaplan. The local contractors could only gnash their teeth in consternation.
Rumors are already circulating among the contractors that most of those that participated in the biddings were merely allegedly dummies of Northern Builders. Dapat mag-investigate na si DPWH Sec. Rogelio L. Singson.
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Until Sec. Singson assumed his post, DPWH was known as the nest of corrupt and dishonest officials. He tried to change its image and continues to do his best to rid and cleanse his department of bad eggs. Unfortunately for Sec. Singson, some of those bad eggs had been hatched and are now lording it over in the awards of contracts, ginagamit ang pangalan ni Pres. PNoy! Kawawa si President! Hindi niya alam na ginagawa siyang sangkalan!
Ganito ang nangyari sa award of the construction ng embankments of the Carmen exit of TPLEx.
Contractors from Tarlac are having a heyday at the DPWH aided by grossly corrupt and highly insensitive DPWH officials. They have insatiable appetites gobbling everything on site, leaving not even any leftover for the contractors from Pangasinan. May araw din sila. As they say, nothing lasts forever.
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Congratulations to the Quezon City Police District Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force Group headed by its Director, Police Chief Superintendent Joel D. Pagdilao!
The successful buy-bust operation is considered the biggest itong taon was launched last Thursday along West Avenue. The estimated street value of the 50 kilos of suspected shabu is worth more than P225 million and yet there were only two persons that transacted it, which was most unusual. Kaya nag suspetsa ang law enforcers someone biggie is behind the transaction.
The operatives are now verifying the links of the arrested suspects with those arrested last month in Kamias, also in Quezon City. Who knows, one of these days, that “biggie” will be the next to be in jail.
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Continued follow-ups and monitoring help to make an anti-drug operation a success. Pero ang community involvement pa rin is what makes a difference particularly in identifying a user or a pusher in the barangay.
Dito natin kailangan ang Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (BADACs) because only the barangay officials know their constituents better and they can easily identify drug peddlers sa kanilang barangay. Ang tanong, how many barangays have re-activated their BADAC? Are the barangay officials serious to help their community to be free from illegal drugs?
Let us practice the principle that “charity begins at home.” Linisin natin ang ating mga barangay ng illegal na droga. Help protect our own children and the youth from its ill effects and save more lives. Illegal drugs kill and destroy future.
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The Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) will conduct a one-day Orientation for Barangay Clearing Operations on June 15, 2015 in my town Sto. Tomas. Resource persons on different topics will be arriving to share vital information relative to the clearing operations.
Being drug-free, Sto. Tomas hopes to be a model to other cities and municipalities in pursuit of a drug-free town leading to a more progressive community.
The DDB officials to grace and assist the orientation program are Undersecretary Rommel L. Garcia, Assistant Secretaries Amador S. Pabustan and Benjamin P. Reyes, Deputy Executive Directors for Administration and Operations, respectively, and other DDB personnel.
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