DPWH official fired over P2.1-M right-of-way mess

A ranking official of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was fired by the Office of the President (OP) after he was found guilty of negligence, which resulted in the loss of some P2.1 million in government funds over a supposed right-of-way property.

Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs Manuel Gaite upheld the recommendation made by the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) on DPWH Regional Director Antonio Purugganan, of the DPWH’s Cordillera Administrative Region.

The PAGC anchored its recommendation on the COA findings which held Purugganan accountable.

The OP stated that the DPWH official caused the government undue losses when he failed to verify the right-of-way claim of Antero Palaci of P2.1 million in compensation for a 7,321 sq.m. property.

The Pico-Lamtang road project is located in La Trinidad, Benguet and was finished in 1997. But a check by the Commission on Audit (COA) showed that the project did not touch any of Palaci’s property.

Apart from this, the purported property was not verified or approved by the Land Registration Authority, which is under the Department of Justice.

In a four-page resolution, Gaite thumbed down Purugganan’s defense that he delegated the task of verifying the right-of-way claim to his subordinates. He said he even formed Task Force Palaci which recommended the payment.

The OP said Purugganan should have exerted due diligence in ascertaining the truth of the claimant’s assertions.

"Instead of laying the blame on those under him and his predecessor, he should learn the lessons and accept the consequences, however, undesirable, of his official action or inaction. His penchant for finger-pointing is unbecoming of a regional director," said Gaite.