UFO: the unnamed names, and the ‘disappointed’ one

THE filing of a criminal complaint against certain executives of the Department of Public Works and Highways and the contractor International Builders Corp. (IBC), among others, is a laudable move. Truth to tell, it should have been done a long time ago given the hassle and the inconvenience brought about by the defective construction of the Ungca Flyover and the amount of public funds wasted on such vital infrastructure project.

Our outrage and disdain over the UFO must further inspire other socio-civic spirited citizens to dig deeper and ferret out the truth. We can also heighten the pressure on the members of the legislature in conducting a congressional inquiry. If the House shows some reluctance, we can call on our Senators to do it in the Senate.

Investigations by the Office of the Ombudsman and by the legislature should not be confined or limited in the names enumerated in the first criminal complaint recently filed. For instance, what is the role of former DPWH regional director Lea Delfinado in this project? Is this the same Lea Delfinado who was assigned as Director of the DPWH’s Bureau of Design when the UFO was conceptualized and implemented? We hear a practicing lawyer is also doing an extensive research for his own filing of a separate graft case before the Ombudsman. He might stumble upon her name and many other players.

Our own research indicates the UFO project started in the hands of high-ranking DPWH execs not named in the complaint now lodged before the Ombudsman. Soon, we will reveal their names here. The consultant, United Technologies Consolidated Partnership, which ostensibly did the soil test and analysis of the UFO including its design certainly could not escape culpability. The DPWH execs who approved and implemented the UFO cannot also escape liability. There are those who say that the contractor cannot be faulted because it simply followed the specifications or the program of works or the design itself. This, we leave to the investigative skills of our graft investigators.

While the public is crying for justice, we are also urging the national government particularly the DPWH to hasten the “removal” of the defective UFO and replace it with a serviceable, nay stable one. The longer the government delays its replacement the longer the commuters suffer. The longer the people suffer the stronger their outrage should be at the perceived corruption and ineptitude in government.

Meanwhile, former Senator Franklin Drilon disappoints which his statement of disappointment. The usually acerbic senator expressed displeasure wrapped in motherhood ambience. While in hibernation, politically that is, he has not been shy about making snide comments and suggestions on issues affecting national interest, particularly on political and economic concerns the current administration is confronted with. A brilliant mind, President BBM could not just ignore his wisdom and intelligent take on issues of sovereign import. Against this backdrop, we expect the good senator to rally behind the Ilonggos to get into the bottom of this billion-peso shame of a public infra, in their quest for transparency and justice. After all, the UFO is Senator Drilon’s legacy.