Capitol building case vs DPWH-7 execs over stalled UN Avenue underpass mess

UN Avenue in Mandaue City. | CDN 2020 File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Cebu Provincial Government still intends to pursue legal actions against several officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways in Central Visayas (DPWH-7) over the unfinished U.N. Avenue Depressed Project in Mandaue City. 

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, in a recent press conference, said the Provincial Government has started building its case against some DPWH-7 executives whom they blamed for ‘causing great inconvenience to Cebuanos’ due to the stalled multi-million underpass project. 

Garcia also said they are now studying the options on what specific charges to file before the Ombudsman as well as identifying the specific individuals responsible for the mess, particularly those from DPWH’s Central Visayas office.

“I believe the responsible persons are those that were assigned or are still part of the Region 7 office, and not Central Office,” she added. 

It can be recalled that the Capitol announced its plans to file criminal and administrative charges against some DPWH-7 officials after Garcia expressed disappointment over the national government agency’s apparent inaction in improving portions of U.N. Avenue.

‘Respect the Cebuanos’

The portion of the highway leading to the Marcelo Fernan Bridge that connects mainland Cebu to Mactan Island is the subject of an ongoing trial between DPWH and a private contractor from Eastern Samar. 

In turn, civil works for the underpass project there had been put on hold since 2019. 

The Capitol tried to intervene by laying down asphalt to fix the road but their negotiations with DPWH-7 went south when Garcia learned that no work had been made. 

The province was informed that the DPWH-7 still needed to bid the asphalt and repair works to a private contractor, much to Garcia’s disappointment.

The governor said taking legal actions against the department is their ‘last recourse’.

“We’ve given them three years, and who are they to inflict this burden on the Cebuanos? You are within the territorial jurisdiction of Cebu. Respect the Cebuanos,” Garcia added.

She also said she still intends to talk with the mayors of Cebu City (Michael Rama), Lapu-Lapu City (Junard ‘Ahong’ Chan), and Mandaue City (Jonas Cortes) to declare the DPWH-7 officials persona non-grata in Cebu. 

Reporters had tried reaching out to DPWH-7 but to no avail.

/bmjo

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