TENSIONS FLARE AGAIN OVER ‘DELAYED PROJECTS’: DPWH-Iloilo City Chief Hits Back at City Government

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

The tit-for-tat between the Iloilo City government and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO) continues.

This time, DPWH-ICDEO chief Roy Pacanan has criticized the city government, defending his office’s projects while accusing local officials of delaying their own developments.

To recall, Pacanan and his office have been the target of repeated public criticism from the city government.

He was declared persona non grata twice—once through an executive order by Mayor Jerry Treñas and another through a resolution by the Iloilo City Council—due to alleged delays in ICDEO projects and the completion of its permanent office in Sooc village, Arevalo district.

But Pacanan would not relent.

In a March 5 memorandum to DPWH-Western Visayas regional director Sanny Boy Oropel, Pacanan detailed the progress of seven projects under the ICDEO, including multi-purpose buildings in six barangays: Concepcion, Katilingban, Tanza Esperanza, Balantang, North Fundidor, and San Isidro.

Pacanan claimed that delays in the Concepcion and Katilingban projects were caused by the city’s Office of the Building Official (OBO), which allegedly failed to issue necessary permits on time.

“We are restating our position that the real cause of the delays in the completion and handover of projects constructed on city government-owned lands are the officials of the city government themselves,” Pacanan wrote in the memorandum.

He pointed out that the city government has yet to return the initial evaluation of the technical plans for the Concepcion multi-purpose project, which was submitted in May 2024.

“We reiterate our position in our memorandum dated August 8, 2024. Contrary to the statement of the OBO, the initial evaluation of the technical plans was received by the Office of the City Mayor on May 27, 2024, and has yet to be returned to the DPWH ICDEO or its contractor,” the memo stated.

Pacanan also noted that the OBO took 184 days to release the building permit for the Katilingban multi-purpose building.

“The complete documents for the building permit application were submitted to OBO on August 7, 2024. It was only on February 7, 2025, that the permit was allegedly available for release,” he said.

Regarding the Mandurriao district public market, Pacanan refuted OBO’s claim that Phase 2 was completed as of May 2024, stating that it is currently at 97 percent completion, with Phase 3 underway.

He added that the Tanza Esperanza building is in its final phase, while the Balantang building is in its second and third phases. The San Isidro building is in its fourth and final phase. However, the North Fundidor building’s Phases 2 and 3 have been suspended due to ongoing revisions and requests for extensions on Phase 1.

CRITICISM OF CITY PROJECTS

Pacanan also criticized the city government’s public statements against the ICDEO, calling them “irresponsible.”

He shifted attention to the city’s own projects, including the Arevalo, La Paz, and Jaro district markets, along with 187 other local developments that remain incomplete.

“Instead of questioning the purportedly delayed projects, the city government should focus on completing their projects, specifically the city-funded Arevalo Market. The delay has substantially affected the livelihood of the vendors and the convenience of the public,” Pacanan said.

He further accused OBO and its head, Mavi Gustilo, of playing into what he described as a “political script.”

“While the OBO has effectively stalled the application of permits, which affected the projects’ implementation, DPWH ICDEO has been continuously attacked for alleged project delays. It is obviously a political script that OBO is way too willing to play,” he said.

Pacanan confirmed that representatives from his office will attend a March 7 meeting set by the city government to discuss the progress of the seven projects.

However, he described the meeting as “unnecessary” and stated that he would not attend due to being declared persona non grata by Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas last year.

“Our staff have recently met with the City Administrator, Mr. Melchor Tan, and discussed the same issues, thus obviating the need for further discussion. Nevertheless, in compliance with the directive of your good office, we will be sending representatives to attend the scheduled meeting,” Pacanan said.

It is important to note the context of this issue in the heated rivalry between Mayor Treñas and lone district Rep. Julienne Baronda.

The erstwhile allies parted ways in 2024 before the filing of candidacies for the 2025 elections. Since then, Treñas has been very vocal against the unfinished projects funded by the DPWH-ICDEO upon the facilitation of Baronda.

But the two parties were “patched up” by the national government to prevent a head-on context between them.