Oriental Mindoro Governor Humerlito “Bonz” Dolor lost his cool on Saturday after he was barred from inspecting a collapsed portion of a ₱200-million flood control project in Naujan town.
Dolor and his team were en route to Barangay Mulawin to inspect the dike when a security guard stopped them, claiming the contractor had ordered that no one could enter without a written permit from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The inspection was supposed to be a joint activity of the provincial government and DPWH Mimaropa.
“Ang ibig sabihin kahit ako hindi puwdeng pumasok sa lalawigang ito? Ay papasukin ko ito sa ayaw ninyo at sa gusto dahil ito ay lugar ng lalawigan, public ito,” Dolor snapped.
He went further, slamming the contractor’s demand for paperwork:
“Grabe kayo tatandaan ninyo ito, ako ang gobernador sa probinsyang ito. Pinoprotekyonan ko lang tapos kayong nagnenegosyo sasabihin ninyo hindi puwedeng pumasok dahil walang written permit?”
Dolor also vented his frustration at DPWH Mimaropa Regional Director Engr. Gerald Pacanan, accusing the agency of backing out of their agreement.
“Aba director Gerald, hindi ko ito gusto, ako ay taong nakipag-usap sa inyo tapos sasabihin sa akin dito ng kumpanya hindi ako pupwedeng pumasok ng wala kayong order, at ang sabi walang written order ninyo,” the governor said.
The governor openly suspected that he was being blocked to prevent him from uncovering defects in the project.
“Ngayon ipuputok ko lahat ito, nanahimik ako ng ilang buwan, tingnan natin kung gaano kapalpak ang trabaho ninyo dito,” he warned.
After 30 minutes of confrontation, Dolor pushed through with the inspection without DPWH representatives and threatened to declare both DPWH personnel and the contractor persona non grata.
At the site, Dolor discovered that about 100 meters of the dike had collapsed during last month’s massive flooding. He was dismayed to see that the dike was made mostly of sand, lined with thin concrete, and supported only by small steel bars—despite its reported cost of over ₱200 million and completion just in 2024.