Press Release
July 19, 2007

REVILLA WANTS DPWH-NCR DIRECTOR SACKED, CONTRACTOR BLACKLISTED OVER TULLAHAN ROW

After personally inspecting the controversial Tullahan Bridge project, Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr., Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Works, asked the DPWH leadership to sack Engr. Josefino Rigor, DPWH-NCR Regional Director.

The Senator blames Rigor for the ongoing fiasco over the Tullahan Bridge Project which records would show, should have been completed on May 31st, or some 2 months ago. Revilla is also seeking the blacklisting of R.C. Ramos Construction, Inc. the contractor for the project, who haphazardly undertook the project without making any provisions to ease the project's effects on the public.

Enraged that the DPWH allowed a revised completion date of November 11, 2007 for the Tullahan project, Revilla now wants the Regional Director to be held accountable.

" Para namang napaka-istupido ng DPWH, na kung kailan tag-ulan at panahon ng bagyo, tsaka tayo gagawa ng tulay. Kaya nga May 31 ang original na completion date niyan ay para in time ang completion bago pumasok ang mga ulan," the Senator expressed.

The Senator pointed-out and empathized with the sorry and pitiful conditions the public has to endure every single day of their lives for the past few months, and is angered that the DPWH will make the public endure more of the same for the next three (3) months.

R.C. Ramos Construction won the bidding for the project with a bid of sixty million five hundred thirty-nine thousand seven hundred forty-three pesos and eighty-two centavos (PhP60,539,743.82), only twenty-thousand pesos lower than the nearest competitor. However, Revilla discovered that the project was awarded for sixty-three million pesos (PhP63,000,000.00), or two and a half million pesos (PhP2,500,000.00) higher over the winning bid.

The DPWH-NCR justified the contract price adjustment by saying that the increase of 2.5 million was for the construction of a 40 meter-long steel pedestrian footbridge, which has yet to built and used by the public.

It may be recalled that the temporary wooden footbridge constructed by the R.C. Ramos was washed away by floodwaters some months back.

"Maliban sa napakamahal naman yata ng 2.5 million para sa isang 40 meter na footbridge, eh nasaan na 'yang footbridge na 'yan?" "Sobrang perwisyo na ang naidudulot nito sa mga taga-Caloocan, Valenzuela, Malabon, at Meycauayan," Revilla said.

"I will make sure that the incompetent DPWH officials and the Contractor are held accountable. Mukhang may kumita na naman at the expense of our people," the Senator ended.

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