DPWH-Iloilo Engineer Defends Actions, Hits Back at City Hall

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)–Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO) chief Roy Pacanan responded to criticisms from the Iloilo City government by defending his office’s handling of official correspondences and rejecting what he described as a pattern of “malicious accusations.”

In a memorandum dated May 2, 2025, addressed to DPWH Western Visayas Regional Director Sanny Boy Oropel, Pacanan provided a point-by-point rebuttal to the city government’s April 25 letter, which accused him of evading accountability and withholding clarity on several infrastructure projects.

Pacanan reiterated that the ICDEO “fairly declined” receiving certain letters from the city government because they were not directly addressed to his office, stressing adherence to government protocol on correspondence handling.

He said the April 24 letter from the city was addressed to Regional Director Oropel, and although it bore the word “attention” to his name, it did not override the fact that it was formally not for his office.

Pacanan also countered the claim that the ICDEO had violated legal and administrative procedures regarding local permits, maintaining that his office had complied with necessary documentation prior to initiating projects in Iloilo City.

He explained that several projects in question were already covered by previously issued permits or fell under categories exempt from additional local requirements based on national guidelines.

“The assertion that our office intentionally bypassed local permitting processes is misleading,” Pacanan stated in the memo. “We have followed all protocols required by both the DPWH and applicable laws.”

The embattled district engineer further accused the city’s legal office of making statements “aimed at eroding public trust” in the DPWH and sowing confusion over standard operating procedures between national and local government units.

On the city’s claim that the ICDEO has refused to clarify issues surrounding its projects and finances, Pacanan said his office had previously submitted reports to both the city and the regional office and had remained transparent within the bounds of inter-agency protocol.

Pacanan also addressed the city government’s remark that he was “declared persona non grata,” asserting that this local political declaration had no bearing on the national agency’s legal operations or his professional standing.

“This declaration, while respected, does not exempt our office from carrying out its lawful mandate. We remain committed to fulfilling our duties in accordance with the law and in service to the people of Iloilo City,” Pacanan said.

He urged for professional cooperation between national and local agencies and called for an end to what he described as “unfounded public narratives.”

Pacanan’s memorandum follows weeks of tension between the ICDEO and the Iloilo City government, which has accused the district office of non-compliance with project permitting requirements, withholding budgetary details, and dodging clarificatory meetings.