‘SHOW US THE PAPERS’: Lawyer seeks Ombudsman’s help in Ungka flyover mess

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

A lawyer on Tuesday said he hopes his request for an investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman would prompt the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to release all documents relative to the defective P680-million Ungka Flyover in Iloilo.

Former Iloilo City councilor Eldrid Antiquiera filed his request with the Office of the Ombudsman through its satellite office in the city on Tuesday, June 7, on behalf of Grupo Konsumidor, where he is president.

In his letter, Antiquiera said the flyover project was on its way to becoming a “white elephant” which would burden the residents and workers of the city and of neighboring Pavia town.

A white elephant refers to expensive government projects that are of no use to the public.

The Ungka flyover has been closed since September 2022 because three of its piers or foundations were found to be sinking.

A probe by a third-party consultant later found out that all 16 piers were sinking, with three having sank by more than a foot.

Antiquiera’s request covers all documents and other materials related to the flyover project that are in the custody of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

He attached to his letter a copy of a Daily Guardian issue with a headline story that tackled the flyover’s defects.

“The recent ‘third-party audit’ conducted by [the Abinales] Consulting Firm has all the more affirmed the flaw in the design of the project which is only pegged at 28 meters deep as per approved design by the DPWH not to mention whether due diligence was conducted to determine if the contractor of the project has indeed faithfully and religiously complied with the approved design and the plans and specification of the project,” Antiquiera’s letter stated.

He explained to the media that he represents a consumers’ rights group and everyone is a consumer and has a right to know what exactly happened to the flyover.

“Everyone who passes by the Ungka Flyover is a consumer. They are commuters who consume goods and services in relation to transport. They come to and go from Iloilo [City] to buy what they want and need. It really affects their rights and interests,” Antiquiera said.

Antiquiera said that their hope was for the Ombudsman to come in and require the DPWH to release the documents on the flyover.

He added that they already requested the documents before, but they found the DPWH regional office unresponsive.

“The Office of the Ombudsman has subpoena power, so they can subpoena the documents including the contracts, project design, plans and specifications, program of works, and everything else including the Abinales report, for us to know the situation,” he said.

“Until those documents will surface, we cannot pinpoint specifically which persons are liable for the mess of the Ungka Flyover. We only mentioned ‘in order to determine possible culpability or liability’ on the part of some officials and employees of the DPWH, and possibly, the contractor,” he added.

Antiquiera distanced himself from a criminal case also filed with the Ombudsman accusing some officials of the DPWH-Region 6 and the contractor of bungling the project.

“This is not just mine, this is for Grupo Konsumidor. We met and decided to elevate this matter to the Office of the Ombudsman for public interest. This has no political color because we’re not in politics. We’re just helping out. No one is financing this,” he emphasized.

As to a possible investigation in the House of Representatives, he said they will support it and even attend if they are invited.