42 multimillion-peso infrastructure projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) were built in Las Piñas City without permits, Rep. Mark Anthony Santos revealed on Monday.
Santos exposed that the city’s district engineering office, under former Chief District Engineer Isabelo Baleros, failed to secure building permits from the city government when construction began earlier this year.
“As of today, our inspectors have conducted inspections of all 42 DPWH building projects. A careful examination of our records showed that none of the said projects has a building permit on file,” wrote Acting City Engineer Michael Aguilar to Santos in a letter cited by the lawmaker.
Santos’ disclosure came after Baleros was replaced last week by Engineer Ruel Umali as head of the Las Piñas-Muntinlupa District Engineering Office, following a memorandum issued by DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan.
According to Aguilar, out of the 42 projects inspected:
- 19 have been completed,
- 7 remain under construction,
- 15 were issued notices of violation, and
- 1 project halted construction after receiving a violation notice.
The City Engineering Office has since directed private contractors and government offices involved to immediately secure the required building, electrical, and plumbing permits, along with zoning and barangay clearances.
Santos warned of legal and professional consequences if these irregular structures collapse or cause damage: “The owner is solidarily liable, while architects and engineers who signed plans for such projects may face suspension by the Professional Regulatory Commission under Republic Act (RA) 9266, the Architecture Act of 2004, and RA 544, the Civil Engineering Law.”
The lawmaker further slammed the DPWH’s track record in Las Piñas: “For the past two decades, several DPWH projects in Las Piñas have been spurious and bogus, since private contractors and DPWH engineers never attempted to acquire the necessary permits.”