DPWH Iloilo City Chief Slams City Hall Anew Over Projects Row

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

Iloilo City’s public infrastructure dispute escalated again after Department of Public Works and Highways–Iloilo City District Engineering Office (DPWH-ICDEO) Officer-in-Charge Roy Pacanan accused Mayor Jerry Treñas of spreading unverified information on social media.

In a March 21 memorandum to DPWH-Western Visayas Regional Director Sanny Boy Oropel, Pacanan said his office has consistently submitted monthly project status reports to the city government.

He cited DPWH Department Order No. 110, series of 2015, which mandates regular reporting to local officials, including mayors.

Pacanan’s statement was in response to Treñas’ March 10 Facebook post expressing “deep concern” over the alleged lack of communication regarding delayed infrastructure projects in the city.

“In case he missed it, [the ICDEO] has been sending copies of our Monthly Status Report since 2019 to date,” Pacanan wrote in his memo.

“To prove our compliance with the said order, Mayor Treñas even attached a copy of our Status Report of projects, as of February 28, 2025 dated March 04, 2025 in his letter to [DPWH] Secretary [Manuel] Bonoan,” he added.

Pacanan also warned the mayor to be more cautious when posting online.

“As the Local Chief Executive of the City of Iloilo, we wish to remind Mayor Treñas to be more circumspect in posting unverified information on social media,” he said.

He further claimed that project delays stemmed not from DPWH-ICDEO, but from the city government’s lack of timely coordination.

“Contrary to Mayor Treñas’ statement that he is willing to extend assistance to DPWH-ICDEO, we forwarded numerous requests for temporary road closure coordination meetings to the Office of the City Mayor and other city offices, but these were deliberately delayed, thus affecting project implementation,” the memo read.

Pacanan cited a previous post by Treñas claiming delay in the road and drainage project along Iznart and JM Basa Streets, saying it was unsubstantiated.

He added that the real cause of delay was the city’s failure to promptly enact Regulation Ordinance No. 2024-1956.

“While publicly expressing his intent to assist DPWH-ICDEO, in reality, he is the one delaying the implementation of the projects—clearly disingenuous,” the memo added.

Pacanan also pointed to a “recurring pattern of accusations” from Treñas and reiterated his office’s concerns.

“[W]e will not take these unfounded accusations sitting down,” he said.

“[Treñas] must address the real issues we have previously raised in our memorandum dated March 5, 2025, concerning the non-completion of the 190 projects implemented by the city government,” he added.

“Again, our office will not fall for any political sleight of hand,” Pacanan said.

Mayor Treñas and his spokesperson Joy Fantilaga have not issued an official statement in response to the March 21 memo.

Fantilaga instead referred the media to a March 10 letter by Mavi Gustilo, head of the Office of the Building Official.

In the letter addressed to Secretary Bonoan, Gustilo refuted ICDEO’s claim that project delays were caused by building permit issues.

“While the ICDEO insists that the lack of a building permit caused project delays, it did not prevent them from starting and progressing the work to completion (or partial completion),” Gustilo wrote.

“Essentially, ICDEO treated applying for building permits as optional rather than mandatory, doing so only when it suited their position and narrative,” she added.

Gustilo also emphasized that DPWH-ICDEO had failed to coordinate with the local government unit from the outset, in violation of the Local Government Code.

She said this failure to secure property owners’ consent early on could have prevented the permitting issues.

The conflict between DPWH-ICDEO and the Iloilo City government dates back to June 2023.

A meeting between both parties was scheduled for March 7, but ICDEO said in a March 6 letter that it would not attend and instead referred the matter to the DPWH central office.