In an annual audit for the Province of Isabela, the Commission of Audit (COA) flagged around 20 dredging and desilting contracts worth around P295 million awarded to a single contractor.

Specifically, the COA audit named the “Dragon Twelve Builders, and Construction Supply,” as the contractor behind the projects; the projects were funded by the 20% Development Fund.

The 20 projects took place in the following Isabela cities and municipalities: Aurora, Cabagan, Gamu, San Guillermo, Alicia, Cabatuan, San Mariano, Sto. Tomas, Burgos, Mallig, San Mateo, Cauayan City, Roxas, and Angadanan; the projects costed P295,525,427.13. in total.

“The same key personnel and units of equipment pledged by the single contractor for multiple contracts of several simultaneously implemented projects involving dredging and/or de-silting of creeks in various and distant locations may have already contributed to substantial delays in the implementation of the project resulting in failure to provide the intended benefits for public use,” read the COA audit report dated Thursday, May 19.

It was noted that of the 20 projects awarded to Dragon Twelve Builders, “seven (7) projects are already beyond the contracted start dates for implementation and not completed within the respective specific contract period;” and that “some of the projects have not yet started and/or are only in the process of mobilization of resources as of September 30, 2021, or nearly two (2) months after the date indicated in the Notice to Proceed (NTP). Three (3) of these projects are still in the process of mobilization of resources to the project sites as of December 15, 2021.”

Furthermore, the audit highlighted irregularities in the project details.

For one, each project had been handled by the same individuals, namely:

Jonathan Diaz, General Manager; Peter Capala, Project Manager; Terencio Pavon, Project Engineer; Mark Anthony Malana, Material Engineer; Jefferson Sadorra, Construction Safety Officer; and Roberto Ferrer, Foreman

The same construction equipment had also been assigned to each of the 20 projects:

“Payloader-TMC/ PD6-040709; Payloader-FR 208; Backhoe wheel Type-21827669; Backhoe-Hyundai; Bulldozer-Catterpillar/3304DI; Dumptruck-Mitsubishi-FUSO/TKN 540/8DC9249343; Dumtruck-ISUZU/NIL 379/12PD1773615; Dumptruck-ISUZU/TNR 352/10PA1-936233,” listed the COA audit for the 20 projects.

“Our evaluation further revealed that the distance of the project sites and the time it normally takes to travel between the municipalities where the sites are located makes it impossible for the Construction Foreman to be present at the same time/day to perform his duties and responsibilities usually expected from the nature of his work,” the audit body assessed.

COA extended similar sentiments towards the heavy equipment assigned to the 20 projects, citing the distance between project sites.

“Same goes for the units of Heavy Equipment pledged, with the usual expected slow travel for the same units of Backhoe (2 units), Pay Loaders (2 units), Bulldozer (1 unit), and Dump Trucks (3 units) at an average speed of between 20 to 40 kilometers per hour on the highway,” it said.

“Thus, the transfer of these equipment between project sites may entail a considerable length of time that makes deployment of these limited number of equipment highly doubtful if each and every one of the 20 projects may be serviced within or in accordance with the planned equipment utilization schedules,” the COA said.

The COA recommended that the provincial government and concerned offices address the irregularities and deficiencies behind the 20 contracts via written justifications, that they properly monitor and supervise ongoing projects, and that bidders without the capacity to fulfill project requirements be disqualified from contracts.