Ombudsman suspends 8 DPWH personnel amid Surigao del Norte flood control probe

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The Office of the Ombudsman has issued a suspension order on eight personnel of the Department of Public Works (DPWH) in Surigao del Norte amid the ongoing Ombudsman probe on the flood control projects in the area.

Placed under preventive suspension without pay for six months at the maximum are:

• Annie Dela Vega, DPWH Regional Office 11 District Engineer
• Federico Gotico III, Engineer III of the DPWH Surigao del Norte 1st District Engineering Office (DEO)
• Demilyn Castrence, Engineer III of the DPWH Surigao del Norte 1st DEO
• Quintinano Armendariz Jr., Engineer III of the DPWH Surigao del Norte 1st DEO
• Edward Tinio all Engineer III of the DPWH Surigao del Norte 1st DEO
• Florencio Sulana, Engineer II
• Acting Chief of Quality Assurance
• Ricky Arciga, Engineer II
• Jerome Sulapas, Accountant III
  

The Ombudsman said these individuals are facing administrative complaints over alleged conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, grave misconduct, and serious dishonesty, and that “sufficient grounds exist to impose preventive suspension on respondents.”

“Without delving into the merits of the case and based on the evidence submitted by complainant, the allegations against Respondents appear to be supported by strong evidence at this stage,” the Ombudsman said.

The Ombudsman’s Field Investigation Office 2, acting as the complainant, alleges that substantially incomplete projects were fully paid by the DPWH under the respondents’ watch, to the detriment of the government.

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) earlier submitted as evidence the list of reportedly completed DPWH projects in the area, that turned out to be incomplete.

“The preventive suspension was imposed pending the resolution of the administrative cases, as a precautionary measure against possible abuse of the prerogatives of the respondents’ current offices in relation to the case,” the Ombudsman added.

GMA News Online has reached out to DPWH Region 11 for comment and will publish them as soon as it is available. —RF, GMA News